Earth Angel
by Hope Grace
Summary: A deadly tragedy causes everyone to see Chloe differently. Who will see through the pain to find the real Chloe inside? Phillip or Brady?
1. The End

(Quick backstory: This takes place about halfway through their senior year of high school. Phillip and Chloe ARE back together at the beginning of this story. Brady and Chloe are just good friends. But, this WILL evolve into a Brady/Chloe fic. Anyone who knows my writing knows that a Broe pairing is inevitable. And yes, I've had this idea floating in my head for about 2 months, ever since I saw 'Down to Earth'... It's the same concept, but with a major twist and more sappy.)  
  
Chapter One  
  
Phillip had taken Chloe to Tuscany for dinner, and for a walk by the river that night. Both had been thoroughly enjoying themselves until Chloe noticed how late it was getting. They walked back to Phillip's car hand in hand. Phillip opened the door for her but she instead of getting inside, she leaned forward and kissed him gently.  
  
"Thanks for dinner, Phillip."  
  
"You're welcome... Only the best for you. I just wish you didn't have a curfew."  
  
Chloe nodded in agreement. "Me too... but sometimes I actually decide to obey my mother, and this is one of those times."  
  
Phillip chuckled as he watched Chloe get in the car, and he shut the door for her. He headed to his own side and got inside. One quick turn on the ignition, and they were on their way to the Wesley house.  
  
"Chloe... I'm so happy right now. Happy to be with you."  
  
Chloe laid her head on his shoulder and smiled. "Me too, Phillip."  
  
There was an awkward silence, and a few minutes later Phillip broke it with a heavy sigh.  
  
"Do you really mean that?"  
  
Chloe lifted her head from his shoulder and stared at him in confusion. "Of course I do. Why would you even question me about that?"  
  
Phillip ran a hand through his blonde hair and shrugged. "Just wondering. Things have been different with us than they used to be, and I want to know if it's because you're having second thoughts... you know, about getting back together with me."  
  
Chloe shook her head vehemently. "No, I'm not having second thoughts at all. Just because things aren't EXACTLY the same as they used to be doesn't mean it's a BAD thing. You can't expect everything to be perfect all the time."  
  
"But, I want it to be."  
  
"Of course you do. That's because you're a dreamer. But, be realistic... we have been through a lot in the past 6 months or so, and things change. That's all... nothing is wrong with that."  
  
Phillip nodded knowingly. "Well, I was just... making sure. I guess I'm a little paranoid."  
  
Chloe laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, just a little."  
  
Phillip glanced at her briefly and smiled. He turned his eyes back to the road and noticed that the car in front him was swerving rapidly between lanes.  
  
"Okaaay, looks like somebody needs some driving lessons."  
  
Chloe turned her attentions to the road and replied, "It looks like a drunk driver, Phillip. Please be careful."  
  
Chloe went to reach for Phillip's cell phone to call the Salem police. Just as she was dialing, the car in front of them slammed on its brakes and spun out of control.  
  
"PHILLIP! WATCH OUT!"  
  
Phillip tried to get out of the way, but he was too close to the drunk's car. He slammed into the other car at full force sending his car into a spin until it came crashing into a light pole. Phillip felt the airbag go off in front of him, and he could hear bones crunching in various parts of his own body. After the car had come to a halt, he tried to ignore the pain surging throughout him as he moved the airbag out of the way. He turned to Chloe who was still holding the phone in one hand. There was blood running down one side of her face and her eyes were closed.  
  
"Chloe... Chloe... are you okay?"  
  
Phillip reached an available hand over to gently stroke her face. Her body was completely lifeless, and he tried to find a pulse on her neck but couldn't feel anything. Phillip felt his own heart sink in his chest as he came to a terrifying realization.  
  
  
"Oh God, you can't be dead, Chloe. Wake up, please. I love you so much. You have to wake up."  
  
Phillip pulled her to him and held on tightly. His body was wracked with heavy sobs as he heard the distant sounds of sirens.  
***  



	2. Someone's Getting Fired Upstairs

Chapter Two  
  
The last thing that Chloe remembered was yelling for Phillip to watch out. A second later she was standing in a completely white room. She noticed a short line of people in front of her, all of them seemed to be waiting for something. Chloe leaned forward and tapped the shoulder of the man in front of her.  
  
"Excuse me... what is this? Where are we?"  
  
The man turned around and shrugged. "Beats me. A minute ago I was cliffdiving in Hawaii with my friends and now I'm here. Maybe we're dead, right?"  
  
The man turned back around and Chloe sighed in frustration. She mentally tried to retrace the steps that may have gotten her here. She remembered the car swerving in front of them and suddenly spinning out, and her yelling at Phillip. There was a white flash in front of her, and here she was.  
  
"It can't be..." Chloe shook her head and muttered in confusion as the line moved forward. A few minutes later, she reached the podium and a dark haired man in a tuxedo spoke to her.  
  
"Chloe Lane? Welcome to Heaven... My name is Keyes, I'll be your maitre'd up here."  
  
Chloe blinked her eyes in shock, "Excuse me? Heaven?"  
  
"That's right, young lady. This is it. The pearly gates, your eternal resting place, the great beyond, all that flim flam."  
  
"But that's wrong... it just has to be wrong. I don't believe it."  
  
Keyes raised one thick eyebrow at her and shook his head. "I don't make mistakes like that, sweetheart. That would be a screw up of epic proportions, and the big cheese would not look too kindly on that. You are dead. Sorry to break it to you like this but you were in a car accident, and you didn't make it."  
  
Chloe slammed her fist on his podium in anger. "No. No. NO! You're wrong. It's not supposed to end like this. I am NOT supposed to be here. This isn't right at all. Somebody has made a BIG mistake."  
  
"So, you dare to question a divine authority? An authority that possesses more power than you could ever imagine?"  
  
"Yes. I do."  
  
Keyes gave her a skeptical glance and shrugged slightly. "Well, that's a new one."  
  
Chloe sighed sadly. "Listen, I'm sure everyone else is much more ready to accept their death than I am. But, I just know that I was meant for more than this."  
  
"You're awfully confident about that."  
  
Chloe nodded. "Yes, I am. Please double check your list or whatever it is you have."  
  
Keyes sighed and threw his hands up in defeat. "I have a feeling you're not going to leave me alone until I do... so hold on just a second."  
  
Keyes pressed a button on the podium and brought up a computer screen in front of him. He pressed a few more buttons, and bit his lip nervously as he sifted through the information on the screen.  
  
"Oh."  
  
Chloe raised her eyebrows hopefully. "Oh what? What does it say?"  
  
"I'm gonna have to take you to see my boss. Follow me." Keyes quickly shut his computer terminal off and put a sign on top of the podium that read, "This Window Closed." He moved out from behind the podium and grabbed Chloe's hand. "Come on... This is important."  
  
Chloe supressed the urge to grin victoriously and followed Keyes through a door in the corner. "Now, when you say 'your boss', you don't mean like THE boss, do you?"  
  
"You mean God? Oh no no no, God has other things to do. We're taking you to my supervisor."  
  
Keyes led her down a hallway and stopped at a door with a plaque that read, "Mr. King - Admissions Supervisor". He firmly tapped on the door and waited until he heard a gruff "Come in." from the other side. They entered and a dark haired man in a blue suit greeted Chloe.   
  
He shook her hand and introduced himself. "Name is King, Admissions Supervisor. Have a seat, kid."  
  
Chloe hesitantly sat down in the chair facing King's desk. "I'm Chloe Lane... Nice to meet you... I think."  
  
King turned his gaze to Keyes who had was now sitting in a chair next to Chloe. "So, what's the problem now, Keyes? Another one not happy with her 'area assignment'? Or maybe she's wondering why some of her loved ones didn't make it past purgatory? Oh no, wait, another one who doesn't think she's even supposed to be here. What a shock."  
  
Chloe gave him an offended glance. "Excuse me? I'm right here... You don't have to talk about me like I'm not..."  
  
Keyes interjected quickly, "Actually, she ISN'T supposed to be here. There was some sort of mistake. I checked it on the computer, and this is not her reservation date."  
  
"And how far off are we?"  
  
Keyes cringed nervously, "About 62 years... give or take."  
  
Anger flashed across King's eyes and he threw his hands up in frustration. "SIXTY-TWO YEARS? How did this happen?"  
  
Keyes stammered in reply, "I... I'm... I'm not really sure. I took her right before the cars hit, like I thought I was supposed to."  
  
"You know, you'd think after 4000 years of doing this, we'd have ironed out the bugs by now."  
  
Chloe slumped in her chair and groaned. "Oh fantastic. I got wiped out by some sort of clerical error. Thanks, I really appreciate that."  
  
King looked into her eyes. "I am very sorry for this inconvenience, Miss Lane. I'm going to see what I can do to clear things up. Just hold on."  
  
King began punching keys on the computer in front of him and muttering under his breath. After a few minutes of muttering and groaning, he turned his attention to Keyes.  
  
"Nice job there, Keyes. It seems that Miss Lane here and her boyfriend, a Mr. Phillip Kiriakis were involved in a collision with another vehicle. The other vehicle had two passengers, a young man and a young woman. The young man was driving while intoxicated..."  
  
Keyes nodded impatiently. "Yeah, yeah... I know all this."  
  
King raised the tone of his voice angrily, "Yes, but did you know that you were SUPPOSED to take the girl in the OTHER car. You took the wrong girl, Keyes."  
  
Keyes cringed slightly and placed a hand on his forehead. "Oops..."  
  
Chloe sat straight up in her chair, her blue eyes burning with anger. "OOPS? That's all you can say? You killed me instead of someone else and all you can say is OOPS? I don't believe this. This has to be a nightmare, it's too ridiculous to be reality. I'm dreaming, right?"  
  
King shook his head and sighed sadly. "I wish I could tell you that you were, but this is real. I'm sorry, but there is one way we can fix it."  
  
"And how is that?"  
  
"Well, we can't put you back in your own body. Once the soul leaves, the body dies, and there's nothing we can do for you. But, we can give you another body. Put you in someone else's place. In fact, we can even switch you with the girl we were supposed to take. She's about your age, and she's resting comfortably in the hospital right now."  
  
Chloe looked downward and frowned. "So, I get a chance to live again... but I'm a new person and I don't know my family or my friends anymore. Right?"  
  
King nodded and replied, "That's right. That's the best we can do in this situation, unfortunately. The bad news is that your loved ones have to go through the grieving process, but the good news is that you can go on living. It's a different life that you'll be living, but inside you will still be you. Or, you can stay here. It's up to you."  
  
"Well, I'm sure it's lovely and all up here, but I'd like to attempt to actually experience life before I die. I'll do it. Take me back."  
  
King tapped a few keys on the keyboard and motioned towards Keyes. "Alright then... Keyes will take you back and set you up with all the information about your new life that you'll need. We'll be watching you closely, making sure the transition goes smoothly, checking in with you and all that."  
  
Chloe stood and shook King's hand firmly. "I would say thank you but I'm not really thankful for the whole 'being taken before my time' thing, but I am thankful for a second chance."  
  
"Good luck, kid."  
  
Chloe smiled at him and turned towards Keyes. He smiled at her and raised his eyebrows. "You ready then?"  
  
Chloe nodded affirmatively and Keyes snapped his fingers. Suddenly she was lying in a hospital bed attached to an I.V. and dressed in a hospital gown. Keyes sat in the chair beside her bed and grinned when she opened her eyes.  
  
"Welcome home, Chloe. I made sure to jet you a few days into the future, otherwise you'd still be unconscious. Your body... well, this body took a few days to wake up after the accident."  
  
Chloe nodded and slowly sat up. She had one arm wrapped in a cast and generally ached all over. She winced in pain as she stood from the bed and Keyes stood and grabbed her arm to keep her from falling.  
  
"Ouuuuuuch..."  
  
Keyes nodded sympathetically. "And just think, this is with the pain medication the hospital is giving you. Without it, I don't think you'd be standing right now."  
  
Chloe groaned in reply, "Oh, that's encouraging. Thank you. Just help me find a mirror."  
  
Keyes wrapped his arm around her waist and led her towards the bathroom. He turned the light on and stood her in front of the bathroom mirror. Chloe paused for a moment, shocked at what she was seeing. Her face was bruised, but still a face of a pretty teenage girl, and there was a bandage wrapped around the top of her head. But, the rest of it was unmistakable. Spilling from underneath the head bandage was a long mess of dark brown curls, and peering out from her face was a pair of hazel eyes. She shook her head in complete disbelief and her jaw dropped in amazement.  
  
She turned to face Keyes and sputtered out, "Oh my God... I'm JAN."  
***  
(tbc)  



	3. SO not funny...

Chapter Three  
  
Chloe turned her head back to the mirror, hoping that she would see a different image in front of her. She blinked her eyes in shock and tried pinching her arm to see if she would wake up from this nightmare. She groaned and flipped off the bathroom light and headed back into the hospital room.  
  
She turned and shouted at Keyes, "No, this is NOT good. I can't look at that face in the mirror every day for the rest of my life. This is insane."  
  
Keyes furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion. "I uhhh... don't see the problem here. She's young, attractive and comes from a wealthy family... should be just fine."  
  
"Yes, yes, yes... I know that. But do you know WHO she is?"  
  
Keyes nodded and checked his palm pilot briefly. "Yes, Janet Lorraine Spears, otherwise known as 'Jan', age seventeen, student at Salem High School."  
  
"Lorraine? Hmm, interesting. Anyway, that's not the POINT, Keyes. The point is, this girl is a detestable human being. She's done some really rotten things, and most of them were to *ME* and my friends."  
  
"And so? You get to live. You don't have to live the way she did, just be grateful that you're alive."  
  
Chloe sat down on the bed with a dejected sigh. "It's just that... this completely blows any chance I had of being close to my friends again. Nobody will be able to accept that Jan is suddenly more like... me."  
  
Keyes sat down beside her and laid a comforting hand on her leg. "Are you sure about that? I doubt that this Jan character was so irredeemable that your friends won't believe she can be good. If she were really evil deep down to the core, she wouldn't be going up where we just came from."  
  
"So, Jan goes to heaven, then?"  
  
"Yup. This is as close as we can make it to the way it was supposed to turn out. Jan was supposed to die in that accident, not you."  
  
"This is just RIDICULOUS. I don't know if I can do this. It's JAN. This is like some great mystical irony, isn't it? God is probably having a pretty big laugh about this right now."  
  
Chloe crossed her arms and stared at the ceiling, shouting towards heaven, "I'M GLAD YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY! I'M GLAD YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR! AT LEAST SOMEONE'S LAUGHING ABOUT IT! BECAUSE I DON'T THINK IT'S FUNNY AT ALL!"  
  
Chloe wiped a tear from her face and looked back towards Keyes. He looked into her eyes with nothing but sympathy and spoke softly, "I'm sorry, I really am. But, this isn't a joke. God isn't laughing at you. I promise... none of us are laughing about this."  
  
"Then it's some kind of punishment, right? What did I do that I deserve to be punished like this?"  
  
Keyes shook his head vehemently. "No, it's not punishment either. I had no idea that you knew this girl that well. This is just a coincidence, a VERY strange coincidence, but that's all. You've done nothing wrong."  
  
Chloe frowned at Keyes. "And you can't find me another body?"  
  
Keyes shook his head sadly. "Sorry, this is the best we can do for right now. I'll try to find you another one if I can, but until then just give this one a spin around the block."  
  
"Maybe I should have just stayed up there."  
  
"Oh no, definitely not. You don't belong with us, Chloe. You belong here. There's a greater purpose to be served by you staying on Earth."  
  
Chloe raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Ohhhh... really? And what is that?"  
  
Keyes pointed a finger at her in warning. "Oh no you don't, I can't tell you that. That's for you to figure out yourself."  
  
"Well, thanks for being cryptic. So, now what do I do? Does your little celestial palm pilot tell you what's in store for me next?"  
  
Keyes tapped a few buttons and looked back at Chloe. "Well, not in great detail. It looks like you get out of here tomorrow though, and you'll be staying out of school for about a week to rest, and then it's physical therapy."  
  
Chloe nodded slightly, "Great... sounds like fun. And what about Jan's parents?"  
  
"Jan's mom is in Australia and her father is in Europe."  
  
"Sounds like a great couple of parents. No wonder she has issues."  
  
Keyes nodded in agreement and continued, "Well, now YOU are the one with issues. A driver will come pick you up tomorrow afternoon and take you home. Just you and the servants."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Oh, right, the privileged life. How nice."  
  
Keyes shrugged slightly. "Could be worse."  
  
Chloe sighed sadly and nodded. "Keyes, what happened to Phillip? He is okay, right?"  
  
"Yes, he's fine. He's in this hospital right down the hall, as a matter of fact. He's pretty banged up, but he should be going home soon. He came out the luckiest of everybody in this accident."  
  
"He did? What about the driver of the car that Jan was in? Was it Jason?"  
  
Keyes nodded sadly. "Yes, it was. Jason Welles, Jan's boyfriend. He was drinking that night, and Jan had tried to stop him from driving, but got in the car anyway. It's such a shame... poor kid didn't make it. Died at the scene."  
  
"So now I'm completely alone... Jan's parents could care less about her, and the only person that pays attention to her at all was killed in the accident."  
  
"I'm sorry, Chloe. But, if you ever need me for something... I'll be checking in with you on a regular basis, making sure you that you're handling the transition. So, you're never really alone... I'm up there listening, and so is God."  
  
Chloe leaned forward and embraced him gently. "Thank you. I mean that. I'm sorry for all the yelling."  
  
Keyes smiled widely at her. "You're welcome. And you don't have to apologize for the yelling, I understand, it was completely expected."  
  
"Can I see Phillip? That's allowed, isn't it?"  
  
"Of course it is. You just can't tell him that you are who you are. As far as he or anyone else is concerned, you ARE Jan. You can't tell them that you're Chloe."  
  
Chloe chuckled softly. "That's okay, nobody would believe that anyway."  
  
Chloe stood and grabbed the pink bathrobe lying on the chair. She wrapped it around herself and suddenly laughed.  
  
Keyes raised his eyebrows at her. "Something funny?"  
  
"Not funny exactly. Just weird. Cause, I feel like myself, but this isn't my body."  
  
Keyes nodded understandingly. "Yeah, that will take a little while to get used to."  
  
Chloe nodded and walked towards the door. "Definitely... Anyway, I'm gonna go look for Phillip. I guess I'll be seeing you...?"  
  
Keyes smiled and winked at her. "You will. And, your friend Phillip is four doors down on the left. It's past visiting hours, so he should be alone."  
  
"Thank you." Chloe briefly smiled at him and stepped into the hallway dragging her IV stand with her. When she looked back into the room, Keyes was already gone. She stepped lightly down the hallway until she reached the door to Phillip's room. The door was cracked open, and she peeked inside at a sleeping Phillip. He was bruised and banged up, but looked like he was all right. She sighed softly at how handsome he looked even like this, and whispered his name under her breath.  
  
"Phillip..." She paused and smiled sadly, before turning around. Chloe had taken two steps away from the door when she heard Phillip's voice call out.  
  
"Chloe..."  
*** 


	4. A Talk with Phillip

"Chloe... Chloe..."  
  
Chloe quickly turned on her heel at the sound of her name. She looked hopefully into Phillip's room, not sure if it was possible that he knew it was her standing there. She stepped through the half opened door and walked towards his bed. He was still sleeping and rolled over on to his side.  
  
He continued talking in his sleep, "Chloe... please don't leave me. Don't go. I love you..."  
  
Chloe sighed and wiped a tear from her cheek. She realized that he was dreaming and had no idea that she was standing there. She backed away from his bed and accidentally tripped over the wastebasket by the wall. She steadied herself with her available hand and groaned quietly. Unfortunately, the commotion was just enough to wake Phillip from his dreams. He sat up in his bed and stared at Chloe.  
  
Chloe nervously sputtered, "Phillip... I'm sorry I woke you up. I didn't mean to disturb you."  
  
Phillip eyed her suspiciously. "Jan... what are you doing here?"  
  
"I know that I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, but I came here to tell you how sorry I am."  
  
"Well, that's certainly a surprise."  
  
Chloe nodded and tried her best to maintain her composure. "I know... you don't expect that kind of talk from me. But, I am a person with feelings, despite what you may believe. I'm sorry about Chloe... I really am. It shouldn't have turned out this way."  
  
Chloe glimpsed the pain and anger flash across Phillip's eyes as he spoke to her. "You're right. It shouldn't have turned out like this. You KNOW you could have stopped Jason from drinking and driving. You didn't stop him and it killed someone who I love very much."  
  
"I know. I tried to stop him, you have to believe me. I didn't know he was that drunk, or else I would have MADE him stop. I had no idea what would happen. I was stupid, okay? But, I'm TRYING to apologize. Don't make this any harder than it already is. I came here to tell you how sorry I am, not to be yelled at."  
  
Phillip turned his face away from her and looked downward. "I don't buy it. I just can't believe that you would care anything at all about what happened to Chloe. Not after everything you've done to her."  
  
Chloe wrinkled her eyebrows together in frustration. "You don't understand. Things have changed. I have changed. I'm not the same Jan as I was then... I DO care."  
  
"I don't believe that either. You've never cared about anything or anyone in your life besides yourself. That's all you care about. You've never cared before about the pain that you've caused to me or to Chloe, have you?"  
  
Chloe was completely taken aback. She didn't know whether to agree with him, or be shocked. There was an awkward pause as Chloe tried to figure out how Jan would respond to an attack like that. For a reason that was unbeknownst to her, she felt her own anger welling up inside her.  
  
"You know what? I hate to say this at this very moment, but maybe you need to take a good look at yourself. You are one of the most selfish people I've ever met. All YOU care about is yourself, and Chloe. I've seen the way you act towards your own mother, Phillip. It's ridiculous. And the most ridiculous part is that there are people who love you, you have people who care about you, and you still act that way. Did you ever stop to think that maybe I don't care about people because nobody cares about me?"  
  
"Jan... I didn't know..."  
  
Chloe crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "No wait, of course you never stopped to think about that, because unless it exists inside the little bubble made up of you and Chloe, it doesn't matter to you. I'm not going to make excuses for the things I've done, because they are truly inexcusable. But, I'm not the only one who needs to stop being so selfish. You do too."  
  
Phillip paused and tried to look in her eyes. "You don't have anybody, do you?"  
  
Chloe shook her head, the pain evident in her face as she was beginning to understand Jan much better. "No, I don't. My parents don't care about me. They couldn't even be bothered to come see me in the hospital. And the only person who ever acted like they cared was Jason. And now he's gone too. So, you see... I have nobody. At least you have friends, and parents who love you."  
  
"I'm sorry..."  
  
"Please, don't be. I don't want pity, I just want to move on. Listen, I know that you're angry, but hating me isn't going to bring her back." Chloe sighed deeply, she wanted more than anything to take him in her arms and tell him that Chloe was right beside him, but she knew she couldn't.  
  
Phillip nodded sadly. "I know... nothing ever will."  
  
"I'm sorry, Phillip. I didn't come in here to start an argument, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."  
  
"Thank you... I'm fine. I'll be out of here tomorrow, and back to school in 2 days, I guess."  
  
"Yeah, I'm bustin' out tomorrow too. But, I get to stay out of school for another week."  
  
"Lucky you..." he responded sarcastically.  
  
Chloe nodded in agreement and started to leave. "I'm gonna let you go back to sleep now. But please, think about what I said, because I know I'm going to."  
  
"I will... and I'm sorry I got so angry. It's just hard to deal with this. I thought I was going to be with her forever."  
  
Chloe stood at the door and nodded sadly. "You really did love her, didn't you?"  
  
Phillip looked downward and smiled slightly. "More than anything..."  
  
Chloe stepped outside his room and shut the door behind her. She quietly whispered, "She loved you too..."  
  
She sighed deeply and leaned against his closed door. Chloe had often wondered what caused Jan to act the way she did, and now she was starting to understand her. Not to mention that seeing Philip from someone else's eyes was a completely new experience. She still loved him deeply, but she could see why their relationship was so flawed. Chloe silently prayed that Phillip WOULD think about what she had said, he was too good of a person inside to act like the selfish brat he had become.  



	5. Going home...

Chloe awoke the next morning with a massive headache. She sipped some water from the glass on the side of the bed and slowly sat up and stretched. Still not used to this new body, she unconsciously ran her hand through her hair, now very curly instead of long and straight like she used to have. She sighed sadly, and the door to her hospital room opened. A young doctor carrying some sort of overnight bag walked in and smiled reassuringly at her.  
  
"Good morning, Jan... How are you feeling today?"  
  
Chloe turned her head slightly to get a glimpse of the name embroidered into his jacket. "Good morning, Doctor... Fisher. I've got a pretty big headache, but I'm okay."  
  
"Well, we'll get you some aspirin to take care of that before you leave. I brought your things in, your driver Benjamin brought them along. A change of clothes, and some other necessities that you might need."  
  
Dr. Fisher laid the leather bag on the end of the bed and grabbed her chart. He looked at it for a moment and then smiled again at her. "Everything looks good to me. Looks like the nurse took you off of your IV before you went to sleep last night. All your vitals are great. All I have to do is sign the forms and you're home free."  
  
Chloe smiled widely. "That such good news."  
  
"You're making a great recovery so far, Jan. I've got an appointment set up for you with a physical therapist here at the hospital, and I'll be giving you some prescriptions that will help with the pain. Besides your arm being broken, you've sustained some pretty nasty back and neck injuries, so you're going to have to stay away from physical activities for awhile."  
  
Chloe nodded in understanding, "That's okay... I'm banned from sports and cheerleading anyway. So, I won't be missing anything."  
  
Dr. Fisher nodded and walked towards the door. "I'm going to take your paperwork up front, so feel free to take a shower and get ready to leave. It will be a while, but I'll send a nurse in to help you to your car once the paperwork is signed and finished. Take care of yourself."  
  
Chloe smiled again. "I will... thank you, doctor."  
  
The doctor left and Chloe got to her feet. She walked into the bathroom dragging the overnight bag with her. Chloe took a quick shower and tried not to think about the fact that this wasn't her body, it was Jan's. She silently wondered how long it would be before she would get used to all the physical differences between her former body and this new one. She quickly dried off and got dressed in the jeans and top that the Benjamin had brought her. As she looked at herself in the mirror and adjusted her top, she spoke her thoughts out loud.  
  
"Geez... I wonder if Jan owns a bra that DOESN'T push her breasts up." Chloe laughed to herself and finished with, "Probably not."  
  
She paused as she glared at her reflection in the mirror, suddenly remembering the way that the real Jan had acted. Chloe rolled her eyes and nearly laughed at her reflection, having seen Jan do the same thing to her so many times.  
  
"Oh, look at me. I'm Jan. I hate everybody, and everybody hates me. That's because I think I'm so much better than everyone else. Blah blah blah blah blah." Chloe crossed her arms and rolled her eyes again before she burst out laughing.  
  
Through her laughter, she managed to mutter, "Oh wow, this is so weird."  
  
She gathered her things together and walked back into the hospital room as the door was opening. It was a nurse coming to let her know that she could leave and that the car was waiting for her outside. She nodded and followed the nurse out. Chloe took the elevator downstairs and walked to the front entrance where a black luxury car was waiting for her. She stepped inside the vehicle and immediately slumped in her seat. Benjamin started the car and drove away, briefly turning back to smile politely at her.  
  
"Good morning, Miss Spears. Glad to see you are doing better."  
  
"Thank you, Benjamin." Chloe muttered from the backseat.  
  
The rest of the drive home was spent in silence. Chloe quickly jumped out of the car when they reached Jan's house and walked inside. The house was large and impressive, and decorated very tastefully. She thought to herself what a waste that nobody was ever here to enjoy it. She turned to Benjamin and pointed up the stairs.  
  
"My room is... which one?"  
  
Benjamin raised his eyebrows in shock. "You don't remember?"  
  
Chloe hesitated and decided to give him her best impression of the patented Jan snarl. "I have a head injury, okay? I'm a little fuzzy."  
  
"Oh... yes, of course. Up the stairs, third door on the right."  
  
Chloe nodded and smiled weakly. "Thank you..."  
  
Chloe spied a copy of the Salem newspaper on the table in the foyer and snagged it for herself. She walked up the stairs and found Jan's room. The door was open and she stepped inside admiring how nice it was. The room was at least two, maybe three times larger than the one Chloe had at her house, and was decorated more like a museum than a teenager's room. She threw the closet open and realized that Jan owned more clothes than every store in Salem combined.  
  
Chloe sat down on the large fluffy bed with a sigh. "Guess it proves that you can have every advantage in the world, including being beautiful on the outside, but still be a rotten person inside."  
  
Chloe reached over and flipped through the newspaper looking for the Obituary section. She found them in the second section, and felt a knot in her stomach as she realized there was nothing more strange than reading your own obituary. The paper said that her memorial service was tomorrow morning at 11 a.m., and Jason's was the following day at noon. It was at that moment she changed her mind about her previous thought, going to your own memorial service was probably much stranger. She sighed sadly, folded the newspaper and laid it on the nightstand beside her. Chloe had no idea what to do with herself all day while other people were at school and work, but the pain in her back only gave her one option. She laid down on the bed, finding the most comfortable position available and took a nice long nap.  
***  
  
(A few hours later...)  
  
The phone beside her began to ring and in her half-awake state, Chloe lazily reached over to grab it.  
  
She groggily answered, "Hello."  
  
"Oh, Jan. My baby girl, you're home from the hospital!" a high-pitched voice rang out over the line.  
  
Chloe wiped the sleep from her eyes, "Uhh... Mom?"  
  
"Yes, of course. You don't recognize your own mother's voice now? I haven't been gone that long, have I?"  
  
"Long enough..."  
  
"Now, how are you feeling sweetheart?"  
  
Chloe instinctively rolled her eyes at the over usage of affectionate names for a daughter that Jan's mom barely cared for. "You mean... you actually care?"  
  
There was an awkward pause, and the reply came over in a less chipper tone, "Of course, I care. You are my daughter after all."  
  
"Could have fooled me."  
  
"What else do you want from me? You got the best care that money can buy, didn't you?"  
  
Chloe sighed sadly, feeling the full brunt of the pain that Jan must have endured on a regular basis. "It's not about the money, mother. You could have at least come home to see me in the hospital, but you didn't even bother. I sure hope you're having fun on your vacation."  
  
"Jan... You know that I couldn't get away. Besides, you're fine, aren't you? Nothing to worry about."  
  
Chloe couldn't believe that someone could act that way towards their own child. "NOTHING to worry about? I could have been killed. Don't you understand that? I could be dead right now. Would you and dad have even bothered to fly in for the funeral or would you just have the maid bury me in the backyard? I got lucky, because I'm still alive... but two other people didn't. Now their families have to suffer a loss of someone they care about, while my family gets to keep their little inconvenience. Isn't that what they call 'irony'?"  
  
"Janet Lorraine Spears... don't speak to me like that. I am still your mother, and you need to show me some respect."  
  
Chloe groaned in frustration, "And why is that? You don't show me any respect, you don't do ANYTHING for me except throw money at me. Do you think that's love? Because, it's not. Have you ever wondered why I act the way I do? Or have you even noticed that your daughter is considered the hellspawn of Salem High School?"  
  
"I'm not going to talk to you about this right now, Jan. I will see you in two weeks, and we can discuss it then. I just wanted to call and check on you, and you had to turn this whole thing around as an attack on me. I won't listen to it any longer."  
  
"Of course you won't... See you in two weeks." Chloe hung up the phone and burst into tears. Even though her relationship with Nancy had been less than stellar, this brief conversation with Jan's mom made her miss Nancy more than she thought she could. She tried to stop the tears from falling, but she realized that she would now never be able to have the kind of relationship with Nancy she had once wished for. There was a quiet knock at the door and Chloe walked to the mirror and made sure all evidence of her tears were gone before opening the door. Benjamin was standing on the other side.  
  
"I didn't wake you, did I?"  
  
Chloe shook her head and replied, "Oh no, I just got off the phone actually."  
  
Benjamin smiled hesitantly. "Oh good. You have a visitor downstairs. A girl from school, Mimi Lockhart."  
  
A look of surprise came over her face as she replied, "Well, I don't really want any visitors. But... send her up, I guess."  
  
Benjamin left as Chloe took another walk to the mirror and glared at her reflection. The last thing she wanted was for Mimi to know she had been crying, so she wiped her eyes one last time. Mimi and Chloe had just begun to put their differences aside a couple months before the accident, and even though they weren't the closest of friends, Chloe felt they were making progress. Chloe sighed at another opportunity lost because of one drunk driver. She sighed softly and turned around as Mimi walked through the bedroom door. She gave Chloe a half smile and laid a couple of books on the desk near the door.  
  
"Hey Jan..."  
  
"Mimi..." Chloe was suddenly overcome at the sight of a familiar face and grabbed Mimi in a hug. She knew that Mimi was probably shocked at this action, something that the real Jan would have never done. Chloe let her go and took a few steps back.  
  
"Uhm... are you okay, Jan?"  
  
Chloe chuckled softly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that. So, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I came to bring you some of your homework."  
  
Chloe's expression dropped. "Oh."  
  
"Well... and I came to see how you were feeling too. The homework isn't that bad, mostly some reading. The teachers just want to make sure you're not too far behind when you come back. So... how ARE you feeling?"  
  
Chloe sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "Fine. I guess. I have to restrain from all physical activity for a while, and go to therapy for my back and my neck. But, I'm mostly fine.  
  
Mimi sat down next to her and nodded. "That's good. But, I meant... how are you doing inside? I'm really sorry about what happened to Jason."  
  
Chloe turned her face away from Mimi and nodded. "It's not easy, Meems. But, thank you for asking. So far, you're the only one who's asked me and meant it."  
  
"You always act like nothing bothers you, but I know that can't be true. I know that we're not really friends anymore, but I do know you a little better than most people. And one thing I do know is that things aren't as easy as they look for you..."  
  
Chloe nodded in agreement. "You're right. They're not. But that's not an excuse for the way that I behave. Nothing is. It's just a factor, I guess."  
  
"You can change, Jan. You're not a lost cause, you know."  
  
Chloe laughed out loud and replied, "Oh, well, that's encouraging. I uhm... just don't think it matters though. I've kinda gone past the point of no return. Nobody will ever be able to accept that I've suddenly changed my colors. I'll never be forgiven for the things I've done."  
  
Mimi shook her head vehemently. "Not necessarily. Look at me... I did some pretty rotten things, which you were definitely a part of... but I changed too. Belle, Shawn, Phillip... even Chloe eventually forgave me. They might never forget, but they can forgive. They are... the best people I've ever known, and the MOST understanding."  
  
Chloe shrugged sadly. "I don't know. I think it's hopeless in my case. Maybe Belle and Shawn, but definitely not Phillip. Not after the conversation we had at the hospital last night."  
  
Mimi gave her a smile of encouragement. "Don't say that. It's never hopeless. And, what kind of 'conversation' did you have with Phillip?"  
  
"Well, maybe 'argument' is the better word for it. It was more like a 'Who's more selfish?' contest? The pot called the kettle black, and the kettle fought back. I think we both lost actually..."  
  
"Hmm. I think I understand. So, does the 'no physical activity' thing affect your ability to clean toilets and showers with me?"  
  
Chloe groaned torturously. She realized that this must be some sort of grand irony taking effect, she would now be serving Jan's punishment that she had created for her. "I don't know. I'm sure it limits what I can do physically, but I'm sure the powers that be will find some other way to punish me."  
  
"Well, enjoy your week off while you can..."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes and laughed. "Yeah, just me and myself and the servants in my big lonely castle. Should be like a vacation."  
  
"Seriously, Jan... I know you're not the mushy, 'share your feelings' type, but if you ever need to talk to someone, just call me."  
  
"Thanks, Mimi. Thanks for caring... I didn't think anybody did, but I was wrong."  
  
Mimi shrugged it off sheepishly. "Hey, I know you, and I figured that deep down there was no way you're as evil as everyone thinks you are. Wait... that didn't sound good, did it?"  
  
Chloe laughed and shook her head. "No, it didn't... but thank you anyway... I know what you meant."  
  
Mimi stood and smiled at her. "Good, good, good. Listen, I gotta run home and watch my baby brother for awhile, but I'm serious about what I said. You've got my number, use it."  
  
Chloe nodded and smiled weakly. "I will..."  
  
Mimi left and closed the bedroom door behind her. Chloe sighed and laid back down on the bed with a smile. She was glad that Mimi had stopped by, and she felt encouraged by the fact that maybe she could have at least one friendship in her new life. Shawn, Belle, Phillip and Brady might not accept her, but at least she had Mimi. Mimi seemed to still care about Jan and Chloe figured it was Mimi's way of trying to find the humanity left inside Jan and save it. Chloe was grateful for Mimi's forgiving nature as it gave her the first glimmer of hope she had felt since the accident.  
***  
  
Chloe spent the rest of the day going through the things that had once belonged to the real Jan. Even though she felt like she was somehow invading Jan's privacy, Chloe knew this was the only way to learn more about who she was now supposed to be, and find the reasons that caused Jan to act that way. Flipping through Jan's journals and photo albums, her fears and assumptions were turned into facts. Jan must have had a miserable childhood. Photos of Jan with her parents were few and far between, and the ones that did exist didn't show a smiling young girl in them, but a child who was obviously miserable.  
  
Chloe wondered aloud, "I wonder if she was ever happy..."  
  
Chloe sighed sadly and read to the end of Jan's most recent journal. Although Chloe could never forgive what Jan had done to her, she now felt like she understood her. By no means, was Jan a lost cause, her journals proved that to Chloe. Jan seemed to want nothing more than acceptance, like every teenager, but she went about it by bringing others down and exerting power over people who she perceived as weak.   
  
Chloe closed the journal and chuckled softly, "I guess my only mistake was not taking any of her crap."  
  
Chloe laid the journal on the nighttable and glanced at the clock. She hadn't realized it, but aside from the meal that Benjamin brought her for dinner, she had been at this all day. It was getting quite late so Chloe turned off the light and slipped under the covers. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, dreaming of her real life as Chloe Lane, not this twilight zone life she had slipped into now.  
***  
  
[Sorry this is taking so long, but I pulled a muscle in my shoulder and muscles in my chest, so typing at the keyboard hurts. It's starting to get better so the chapters should be coming quicker now. Thanks for your patience. :)] 


	6. In Memoriam...

(Next morning.)  
  
Chloe stood in front of the mirror making one last check of her appearance. Having straight hair her entire life, she was completely unprepared to deal with Jan's very curly hair. Out of frustration, she ended up with a simple French twist. She had picked out a black dress that would have been considered conservative by Jan's standards and grabbed a pair of dark sunglasses to match on her way out of the bedroom. Jan may not have had the same exact tastes as Chloe, but there was certainly plenty to choose from.  
  
Chloe went downstairs and saw Benjamin sorting the mail into piles on the table in the entryway. He quickly turned and smiled politely at her.  
  
"Good morning... are you going somewhere today?"  
  
Chloe quickly checked the watch on her wrist and nodded. "Uhm... yeah. I have to be somewhere at eleven."  
  
Benjamin nodded. "Do you need me to drive you then?"  
  
"Uhm, no, that won't be necessary. I just need to find the keys to my car." Luckily, Chloe had read that Jan owned a red VW Beetle that she barely ever drove.  
  
Benjamin looked at her curiously and slid the drawer in the table out and handed her a set of car keys.  
  
"Same place they're always at."  
  
Chloe smiled sheepishly and nodded, "Yeah, I knew that. I was just making sure we hadn't changed anything while I was in the hospital. Good to know that things didn't get all crazy here while I was gone."  
  
Benjamin gave her a very strange look and raised his eyebrows. "Of course, miss... I understand. Be careful out there."  
  
"You bet." Chloe turned away from him and cringed at how stupid she must have sounded. She shook it off and headed towards the front driveway to find the red VW.  
***  
  
Chloe walked into St. Luke's and took a seat in the very back of the church. The last thing she wanted was to be noticed by her friends and family, so she left the shades on and kept her head turned away from the people entering the church. Luckily, none of them paid much attention to the petite girl in the back as they filtered in and took places at the front of the church.  
  
Chloe slumped in her seat and waited for the proceedings to begin. She silently thanked God that there was a private viewing separate from the memorial service. Seeing your own body lying in a casket would be far more traumatic than Chloe felt she could handle.  
  
She peered over the pew in front of her and noticed that there was a far larger turnout that she could have expected. The few friends she had were there of course, but with them were many of her classmates, and many members of the more prominent Salem families.   
  
"I guess I should be impressed," Chloe thought silently to herself, "Who would have guessed that Ghoul Girl would elicit such a turnout?"  
  
The priest stepped to the podium at the front of the church and waited until he had gained the attention of the entire room.   
  
"Good morning everyone. On behalf of the Wesley family, thank you all for joining us here today. Instead of continuing on with a traditional funeral service, the Wesley's have opted for something that they feel is more appropriate. So, without further adieu, Dr. and Mrs. Wesley, please come up..."  
  
Craig and Nancy stood from the front pew and walked to the podium together. Nancy was visibly shaken, and Chloe couldn't remember ever seeing her look so awful. Craig seemed to be fine on the outside, but if you could see into his eyes, you would see nothing but pain and sorrow. Even from the back of the church, Chloe could tell that he was just trying to hold things together to keep Nancy from falling apart.  
  
Nancy cleared her throat and began, "I know that I could stand up here for hours upon end and share all my feelings of pain and anger at this tragedy that has happened, but I won't do that. My daughter's life and my own have been filled with pain, tragedy and regret. I don't want that to continue on after her death. So, I'm here to thank Chloe, and I hope that you will all follow my lead and come up here to do the same."  
  
Chloe heard the door behind her creak open and she turned her head around to see Brady entering. She couldn't help but noticing how handsome he looked all dressed up in his dark blue suit, even though she knew this wasn't the appropriate time to be playing fashion critic. Chloe cringed when she realized that she was flat out staring him down. She quickly prayed that he wouldn't notice her, but it was too late. Brady threw her an odd glance that was a mix of surprise and curiosity before taking his seat in the pew across the aisle from her. Chloe quickly turned her gaze from Brady and returned her full attention to her mother at the podium.  
  
Nancy had taken a long pause to keep from breaking into full sobs. Craig had wrapped an arm around her shoulder for support and she continued speaking, "I'm sorry. I've been trying to hold it together, but as you see, I'm not that good at it. Anyway, I wanted to tell Chloe, because I know she's out there listening, how much I love her. I know that she only lived in my home for 2 short years, but she has been a part of my life for 17 years. I have always loved her, and I always will. I just want to tell her how thankful I am that she was in my life and how much she has changed me for the better. Her presence and her memory will be with me always. Chloe... my baby girl... wherever you are, your mommy loves you."  
  
Nancy broke down and began sobbing loudly. She laid her head on Craig's chest and he gently stroked her hair. Craig gently kissed the top of her head and held her tightly.  
  
Craig turned towards the congregation and spoke, "I'm not going to reiterate everything that my wife has said. But, I did have a few things to mention. As most of you already know, Chloe was not related to me biologically. But, that means nothing to me. Never will I call her anything but my daughter. It doesn't take blood type or DNA to make someone your daughter, and that couldn't be truer in this case. I always considered myself to be a smart person, but Chloe taught me more about love in the past 2 years than I thought possible. Thank you for teaching me about love, Chloe and thank you for being the greatest daughter that anyone could wish for. I love you."  
  
Craig sighed and suppressed a sob from deep down inside. "I really don't know how we could put into words everything we're feeling right now, so we're going to give the rest of you a chance to say whatever's on your mind. Thank you all for coming... it means a lot to the both of us."  
  
Craig smiled weakly and led Nancy back to her seat. There was an awkward pause as the people in the front pews shifted their gazes around the room. Just as Chloe was silently wondering if that meant that nobody else wanted to speak, Belle stood from her seat. She grabbed Shawn's hand and dragged him to the podium with her.  
  
Belle sighed softly and managed a half smile. "Hi everybody. Shawn here didn't really want to speak in front of a room full of people, but I'm going to at least force him to stand here with me. Basically, whatever I have to say goes for Shawn too. Right?"  
  
Shawn suppressed his oncoming grin and nodded in agreement. "Yes, Ma'am."  
  
Belle squeezed his hand gently and continued, "Anyway... first off, there are a lot of people here today whom I wouldn't have expected to see. But, I know why you're here. For the past five days, people at school have been coming up to us or calling us at home to talk about Chloe... A lot of you didn't really know her that well, and you may have barely spoken to her in the 2 years that she went to our school, but she must have touched your lives in some way for you to be here today. Everyone here and some people that couldn't make it have said such wonderful things about Chloe, and I have to agree. She was intelligent, funny and strong. The thing that most of you remember about her is that she always stood up for herself and she never took crap from anybody. Even when things were at their worse, she never let it destroy her. But, what I remember most about her is what a great friend she was. She was one of the best friends I've ever had, and I will never forget her. In going with what Dr. and Mrs. Wesley said, I want to thank Chloe too. She was always there when I needed her, and even now, I feel like she's still here. Thanks Chloe..."  
  
Belle wiped the tears from her face and looked at Shawn sadly. Shawn leaned towards the microphone and continued, "She was right. Everything that Belle said goes for me as well. Chloe was the most unforgettable and unique person I've ever known. Nobody can ever replace her, and nobody ever will."  
  
Shawn and Belle quickly returned to their seats in between their parents. Shawn kept one arm around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder and cried. Mimi stood up and nervously walked to the front of the church.  
  
She cleared her throat quietly and looked hesitantly around the room before speaking, "Hello... I uhhh, guess I'm one of the last people that any of you would expect to speak on Chloe's behalf, but things have changed. I know that Chloe and I weren't the closet of friends... to say the least. But uhm, right before the accident we were finally starting to make a connection, so I do have two things to say to her. I'm sorry... I know that I told her that before, but I really am. And not just sorry for all the things that I've already apologized for, I'm sorry that it took so long for Chloe and I to be friends. So much time was wasted, and now... I'll never have the chance to know the Chloe that everyone says such wonderful things about."  
  
Mimi frowned and sniffled slightly. "Like everyone else so far, I want to thank Chloe too. She saw right through my games and my attitude, and she taught me a lot about myself. When I was treating her badly, she knew why even when I didn't understand it myself. Thanks Chloe... I'll see you again someday."  
  
Mimi returned to her seat next to her parents and Phillip stood from his. He paused in one place for a moment, and Chloe imagined that he was trying to gather his courage. Phillip may have been handsome and popular, but he was not fond of public speaking. The added weight of the situation was probably only making it worse. Phillip took a deep breath in and finally walked to the podium.  
  
"I'm not really good with words most of the time, and this is definitely one of those times. How can I even begin to put into words what Chloe meant to me? It's not possible. It defies language and sentences and spoken words. Chloe was my world, my universe and my everything. I am so grateful for every moment we had together, and I thank God for the time that I had with her."  
  
Phillip shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know what else I could possibly say. I only have one other way to express myself right now. You see, there was one song that was particularly important to us, but I don't think I want to sing that one. There's another song though that I sang to her once to apologize for hurting her. It was the first time I had to apologize to her, but definitely not the last. I'm just glad that she was an understanding person. But, this song will always remind me of her and Chloe, if you're listening, you will be in my thoughts and dreams every day for the rest of my life. Dreams are the only way I can be with you now..."  
  
Phillip closed his eyes and took a deep breath, singing into the microphone,   
"Dream, dream, dream, dream  
Dream, dream, dream, dream  
When I want you in my arms  
When I want you and all your charms  
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is  
Dream, dream, dream, dream  
  
When I feel blue in the night  
And I need you to hold me tight  
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is  
Dream...  
  
I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine  
Anytime, night or day  
Only trouble is, gee whiz,  
I'm dreamin' my life away  
  
I need you so that I could die  
I love you so and that is why  
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is  
Dream, dream, dream, dream, dream..."  
  
Phillip let out a heavy sob and staggered back to his seat in despair. Belle and Mimi quietly slipped out of their seats and sat down with Phillip. His tears fell like rain as Belle and Mimi wrapped their arms around him comfortingly.  
  
Chloe had been watching the speeches from her parents and friends in complete shock, but watching Phillip break down had finally broken her stare. Her entire body began to shake and she felt the hot tears rolling down her face.   
  
She quietly muttered to her self, "I can't handle this anymore."  
  
Chloe stood from her seat and bolted through the back doors of the church. She left so quickly she didn't even bother glancing at Brady's stunned and tear-stained face.  
***  
  
Chloe stood on the pier that in the same place she had stood so many times before. Only this time, she had no idea how she got here. The pain of watching what her loved ones was going through had hit her hard and she ran from the church as fast as she could. She ran past Jan's car parked in front and kept on going. The next thing she knew, she was at the pier.  
  
Chloe leaned against one of the wooden posts and slumped to the ground. She removed the sunglasses from her head and laid them beside her. Using her free hand she wiped the tears from her face and looked towards the bright blue sky.  
  
She shook her head sadly and spoke out loud, "It's not fair..."  
  
Chloe sobbed deeper and brought her knees to her chest. She sat like that for what seemed like an eternity and cried until there were no more tears left in her. She had finally stopped crying and began breathing normally when she heard a set of footsteps coming up behind her. She slowly turned her head and saw a figure emerge on the other side of the pier.  
  
Her mouth opened in shock, "What are you doing here?"  



	7. A Meeting Place

(Quick replay of Chloe/Jan on the pier. Or would that be Janoe?)  
  
Chloe sobbed deeper and brought her knees to her chest. She sat like that for what seemed like an eternity and cried until there were no more tears left in her. She had finally stopped crying and began breathing normally when she heard a set of footsteps coming up behind her. She slowly turned her head and saw a figure emerge on the other side of the pier.  
  
Her mouth opened in shock, "What are you doing here?"  
  
Brady smirked and crossed his arms. "Maybe I should ask you the same thing. What the hell are YOU doing here?"  
  
It was then that Chloe realized what a mistake she had made. This was not Jan's special place, it was Chloe's. Big mistake. Chloe stood slowly and matched Brady's cross-armed stance with her own.  
  
She raised one well-shaped eyebrow and replied, "Why do you care?"  
  
"Let's just say, I'm surprised to see you here. But, maybe not as surprised as I was to see you at that memorial service."  
  
Chloe shrugged nonchalantly and kept on playing the part of Jan. "It's a free country, you know. I can go wherever I want."  
  
"I'm not trying to stop you either. I'm just curious, that's all. From what I've heard, you never cared one bit about Chloe... why would you want to go to her memorial service? And, secondly... why would you just so happen to end up at the place that Chloe always went to when she was upset?"  
  
"Well, first off. I don't really know you, so I don't HAVE to answer your questions. But, if you REALLY must know... I went because I was curious. Sure, we weren't friends... in fact, we were pretty much mortal enemies but it's not like I'm completely heartless. Underneath this cold, hard exterior... I do have blood running through my veins and a heart too."  
  
Brady snickered quietly. "Really? Because I always thought you were some kind of android. Like that robot movie with the Sixth Sense kid. You look like a human being, but you're actually not."  
  
Chloe's eyes narrowed in anger and she pointed an angry finger at Brady. "You don't know ANYTHING about me, Brady. I know what everybody thinks about me, but it's not the real me. I'm sure your sister and her friends have told you plenty of stories about me, and they're all true. But, there's more to me than just being the bitch goddess of Salem High School."  
  
Brady shook his head in disbelief. "Well, you could have fooled me."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes and nearly spat her words out. "Well, you would know, wouldn't you? You're not exactly the king of fluffy clouds and rainbows, are you? Oh yeah... You think I don't know you, but I know more than you think. Oh, you make with the happy talk now, but it hasn't always been like this. I've heard about the way you treated your stepmother, and the way you've acted towards so many other people. But, now you've changed your ways... and everything is all sunshine and roses. See, Brady... people CAN change."  
  
"A leopard can never change her spots."  
  
Chloe threw her hands up in frustration. "You did. Didn't you? Or was the 'bad boy' thing just an act? No wait, maybe it's the other way around and the 'good boy' thing is just an act... Which is it?"  
  
Brady sighed and muttered quietly, "It's neither."  
  
"Okay then... shut up about me. I'll have you know, I can change... and I'm going to change for the better. The only difference between you and me is that you had something to change for. You have a family who loves you, and a sister... I don't have anything. I just have to do it anyway, or else I'll never have someone."  
  
Brady wrinkled his eyebrows together in confusion. "I'm sure that's not true... you're not alone, Jan."  
  
"That statement just goes to FURTHER prove that you know nothing about me. I have no one. My parents don't care about me. I don't have any friends. Nobody cares about me. Do you want to know why I left the memorial? Because when I was watching all those people talk about Chloe, it just reminded me that if I died tomorrow, nobody would say those kinds of things about me. I doubt anybody would even show up at the church... including my parents."  
  
"So... it reminded you that you have a shred of humanity left in you somewhere?"  
  
Chloe pouted slightly and returned, "Yeah, something like that. I'm surprised you're actually going to admit that I even have any humanity left. Don't tell me you've changed your opinion of me this quickly."  
  
Brady shrugged slightly. "I don't know... only time will tell, right?"  
  
"Well, coming from you... I'll take that as encouragement."  
  
"You can do that... but you never did tell me WHY you're here, at this spot..."  
  
Chloe bit her lip nervously and hesitated. "Well... I didn't know that there was something important about this spot, but apparently there is. I just got upset at the church, and I ran until I got tired... and I ended up here. Period. End of story. Now, why are YOU here?"  
  
Brady glared at her silently and turned around to face the other direction. "Because... this is an important place to me. I like to come here to think, and being here reminds me of someone. And... the rest is none of your business."  
  
"Okay... fair enough. I'm gonna leave you to your thinking and get the heck out of here then."  
  
Brady turned back around and faced her. "And what are you going to do with yourself now?"  
  
Chloe nearly laughed out loud. "Wow, you sound like you almost care. That's fantastic. I think I'm going to go off in my little corner and polish the chip on my shoulder for a while. Alone of course, since everybody in this town hates me."  
  
Brady shook his head and spoke with complete seriousness, "Not everybody, Jan."  
  
Chloe almost fell off the pier in shock. "Not everybody? You're not admitting that you might actually like me, are you?"  
  
"Oh no, no and NO. I'm not saying that I like you, because I don't. I'm just saying I don't hate you. In fact, you remind me of someone."  
  
Chloe cringed slightly. "Please don't say... 'You remind me of Satan.' Cause, I've already heard that one before."  
  
Brady laughed out loud and replied, "No, that's not what I was going to say."  
  
Chloe breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled softly, "Oh good... so who do I remind you of?"  
  
"This girl that I used to know. You've got the same fire in your eyes that she did. She used to love to fight with me."  
  
Chloe grinned at him and silently wondered if he was talking about her. "What happened to her?"  
  
Brady looked down sadly. "She... went away, very far away." He paused and breathed in slightly, the next sentence he spoke quietly as if he almost didn't mean to say it out loud, "And I never got to tell her I loved her."  
  
Chloe realized that he wasn't talking about her, she knew Brady had never felt that way for her. They had only been friends, and nothing more. Her expression softened as she spoke, "Well, I'm sure there'll be another chance for you to tell her how you feel. It can't be a total lost cause."  
  
Brady shook his head. "No, it is. I should have told her before, but I never did. And now she's gone, and it was out of my control... one of those 'higher power' things kept us apart."  
  
Chloe nodded understandingly. "Higher power, huh? Boy, do I know about that..."  
  
Brady lifted his gaze and looked at her curiously, "And how is that?"  
  
"Long story... never mind. Forget about it. I'm gonna go now."  
  
Brady continued to glare at her with curiosity, "Okay... see ya around then."  
  
Chloe walked up the stairs and stood at the top of them for a moment. She watched Brady turn and walk towards the water. He stood at the edge of the pier and stared into the dark water. Chloe thought that she could see him wipe a tear off his cheek, but she wasn't sure. For some reason, she felt like she wanted to stand there and watch him all day but decided to turn around and grant him his privacy.  
  
Chloe walked away from the pier sadly, and decided to take a trip to Dot.Com. She desperately wanted to reconnect with her old life in any way she possibly could and although she knew things would never be the same, at least she could enjoy the comforts of her favorite hangout.  



	8. Dot.Com Confrontation

Chloe walked into Dot.Com and took a quick look around. She spied Shawn and Belle together in the corner, but thankfully neither of them was looking in her direction. Chloe breathed a sigh of relief and walked to the counter to order her usual drink. Usually the counter service at Dot.Com was extremely fast, but on this day they happened to be training a new girl and Chloe waited for her drink for an eternity. She finally grabbed the cup, paid for it and turned around to walk away running smack dab into Belle Black.  
  
Chloe stared at her in shock for a moment before stammering out, "Oh Belle, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention."  
  
"Uhm, that's okay, Jan. No harm done."  
  
Chloe smiled gratefully at her. "By the way... you look really nice like that."  
  
Belle's mouth dropped in shock, and she started checking her hair and her face to see if something had gone dreadfully wrong. "Why do you say that? Do I have something on my face? Is my hair all messed up? Did I rip my dress?"  
  
Chloe shrugged in confusion. "Uhm, no... I said it because I meant it. It's a compliment."  
  
Belle stopped her self-inspection and looked at Chloe with surprise. "Really? I just never expected a compliment to come from you. Anyway... I have been wanting to tell you that I'm sorry about Jason, and I'm glad you're okay and everything."  
  
Chloe wanted to smile widely but suppressed it. It was just like to Belle to be nice to even the most hateful person. "Thanks Belle... And, I'm sorry about Chloe. I know you might not believe that, but I really am. I know how close you were with her."  
  
"No, I believe you... cause you're not doing that 'I'm only ACTING sincere'-face that I've seen you do before."  
  
Chloe laughed and nodded, she knew exactly what Belle was talking about. Jan liked to pull out the puppy dog eyes when she wanted to get her way, even though she was never sincere about anything. "Yeah, well, things are changing... I've changed a lot. And, I just want to say that I think that Chloe was really lucky to have you as a friend."  
  
Belle sighed sadly and looked toward the floor, "Not as lucky as I was to have her." Belle shifted her feet and looked upwards optimistically. "Anyway, would you like to join Shawn and me? We're sitting right over there."  
  
"I uhh, I guess... If you guys will have me... Cause, nobody else will."  
  
Belle smiled widely and motioned for Chloe to follow her. Chloe felt like she was reliving the past almost. This reminded her of the days when she first came to Salem and the only two people willing to talk be seen in public with her was Belle and Shawn. Chloe followed Belle and sat in the booth across from Belle and Shawn. Shawn looked up from his computer screen in surprise as she sat down.  
  
"Jan... Good afternoon, I guess. What's going on? How are you feeling?"  
  
Chloe shrugged and replied, "Okay right now... I made the mistake of doing some walking today though, and I'm not really supposed to be doing any physical activity. I have a feeling the doctor is going to be pretty angry with me when I visit him with a sore back."  
  
Shawn nodded sympathetically. "Well, then why didn't you just stay home?"  
  
Chloe chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Please... I couldn't stand being cooped up for one more second. It's like a prison at home... a really NICE prison, but still a prison. Besides, I had some business to attend to."  
  
"Business? What kind of business? Or is this something that we don't want to know?"  
  
Chloe bit her lip nervously and sunk a little lower in her seat. "Well, I didn't really want you guys to know... but I was at the memorial service... at least part of it anyway. I sat way back in the back where nobody could see me."  
  
Belle leaned forward in her seat and gave Chloe a surprised glance. "Why didn't you want us to know you were there?"  
  
"I don't know. I didn't want to cause a stir or anything. I'm definitely the last person you'd expect there, and I didn't want to have to explain my reasons for being there to everybody. I feel awful... really terrible about what I did to Chloe, and I wish I could take it back, but I can't. I can't apologize to her either, but I went there today to make peace with the situation. I want to move on, and be a better person... no more of the old Jan."  
  
Both Shawn and Belle sat in stunned silence for a moment before Belle replied, "Wow, Jan... you don't even sound like yourself all of a sudden. I'm totally stunned. But, I'm also really impressed. And, I don't know what it is about you now, but I can tell you really mean it. I'm so glad that you want to change... and if you need a friend, you can call me. I know we've never gotten along, but I'm willing to help you out if you need it."  
  
Chloe smiled shyly and nodded. "Thank you, Belle. You're really amazing to even care about me after what I've done."  
  
Shawn nodded and spoke up, "Yeah, Belle is pretty amazing that way. I think she would help anyone who needs it, as long as they are willing to change. And, that goes for me too, Jan. There's something in your eyes that proves to me that deep down, you are a good person, and you are sorry for what you've done. You almost look like a different person even..."  
  
Belle nodded in agreement. "I agree... I mean, you look like the Jan that we've known since elementary school, but there's something there inside that wasn't there before."  
  
Chloe paused and silently wondered if maybe Belle and Shawn could see through her exterior to the soul inside the body. She knew that they were kind, caring and understanding people, but their words just now made Chloe believe that they could see the real her behind the face of Jan. She shook her thoughts off and smiled widely at both of them.  
  
"Thank you both... I really don't have anyone, and it makes me feel a lot better to know that there are at least a few people who won't refuse to have anything to do with me."  
  
Belle and Shawn smiled widely, but quickly turned their heads when they heard footsteps approaching. Chloe's gaze followed theirs until she was staring up into Phillip's cold blue eyes.  
  
"Phillip..."  
  
"Jan, what are you doing here? Are you trying to take Chloe's place now or something? Drinking the same drink as she used to even... What are you trying to do? Oh wait, Maybe you're just here to hurt Shawn and Belle, since you can't target Chloe anymore."  
  
Chloe shook her head in disbelief and stood from the booth. "Sorry, Phillip... didn't know that I wasn't allowed to drink the same kind of drink as Chloe. Hey, I know... why don't you go tell everyone else that comes here to drink this same exact thing that they're not allowed to because it's the sacred Chloe drink? Phillip, I know that you are hurting right now... but PLEASE stop taking it out on me. I already made my apology to you, and there's NOTHING I can do to make things better than they are. I am trying to make up for the hurt I've caused, but you're definitely not making it easy for me."  
  
Phillip kept his steely gazed transfixed on her and replied, "I've listened to what you had to say in the hospital, Jan... and maybe you were right, but that doesn't mean I have to like you."  
  
Chloe threw her hands up in frustration. "You're right, you don't have to like me. I don't expect that after what I've done to you. But, please don't make this hurt any worse than it already does. I don't plan on causing any more pain to anybody, especially to Shawn, Belle or you, so please... just back off. It's time to move on."  
  
Shawn put a calming hand on Phillip's arm. "I think she's right. You need to chill, man. Jan is really trying to fix her mistakes, and having you yelling at her isn't going to help any."  
  
Phillip's voice rose in anger as he spoke, "After what she's done to me? AND CHLOE? No way, Shawn... I don't believe her, and you can't make me. I'm not going to all of a sudden become best friends with Jan just because she's playing nice. She's rotten to the core, and I don't believe a word of her fake little apologies."  
  
Belle sighed and looked at him with deep sadness in her eyes, "Just like you didn't believe in Chloe... Right, Phillip? You automatically assumed the worst of her, just like you can't accept that Jan might be able to be reformed. You're practically family to me, and I love you, but I really wish you'd grow up."  
  
Chloe felt the painful memories of what had happened on the night of the Last Blast course throughout her body. She had forgiven Phillip for what how he had treated her, but she had never forgotten it. Chloe turned to Shawn and Belle with tears in her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry... I can't handle this right now. I'm gonna go. Sorry."  
  
Belle looked at her pleadingly, "You don't have to go Jan..."  
  
Chloe shook her head and held back the sobs. "No, I'm definitely gonna go. I'll talk to you later."  
  
Chloe quickly turned and left Dot.Com to find her car in the parking lot. She reached the red VW and released the sobs inside her. Inside, she felt bad for leaving Shawn and Belle there with an angry and unreasonable Phillip, but even though she still loved him, she couldn't stand to be in the same room with him when he acted this way. Belle had been right, Phillip didn't trust anyone, not even Chloe. It still hurt to think about the horrible things he had said to her when he assumed that she had posed naked on the internet. Even though he had apologized and tried to make it up to her, Chloe still wondered why he had assumed the worse instead of trusting in her. She thought that he knew her better than that, and even now, she was still unsure. Shawn and Belle seemed to see the real Chloe inside, but Phillip only saw Jan.  
  
Chloe wiped the hot tears off of her face and got into her car. She quietly muttered, "Please, Phillip... open your eyes... see me for who I really am."  
  
She looked in the rear view mirror and wiped more tears off of her face. Even though it was Jan's face staring back at her, she still saw herself inside of those eyes. She started the car and silently prayed that she would be able to fill this void between her and Phillip, and that he too would one day look in her eyes and recognize the person behind them.  
***  
(Hey, I don't really HATE Phillip... I just act like I do... I only hate the person that the writers have turned him into, and I hate the way he treats Chloe... Just thought I'd say that.) 


	9. The Real Chloe

Chloe drove straight home after her confrontation with Phillip at Dot.Com. Her back and neck had begun to ache severely and she managed to drag herself up the stairs without any interference from Benjamin or the other servants. She threw herself on the bed in her room and took one of her prescription pain pills. It may still have been light outside, but she knew her medication would send her straight to sleep. A small price to pay for pain relief, she thought to herself.  
  
Chloe sighed heavily and muttered, "My doctor is going to kill me for running like that... I just know it."  
  
A male voice rang out from the corner, "Not going to happen. You're already dead."  
  
Chloe jumped straight up and saw Keyes sitting in Jan's desk chair.  
  
Chloe gasped in shock, "KEYES!?! You scared the crap out of me. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Sorry kiddo, didn't mean to scare you. Just wanted to check up on you, that's all. So, is it as bad as you thought it would be?"  
  
Chloe shook her head. "No, not really."  
  
Keyes smiled satisfactorily and asked, "So, it's good then?"  
  
"No, definitely not."  
  
His expression dropped and he sighed softly. "Well, which one is it? Good or bad?"  
  
Chloe shrugged in confusion. "It's a little bit of both. I mean, not everybody hates me like I thought. In fact, there may be hope for me yet to actually have friends. But, the person who counts the most won't even look me in the eye, unless it's to yell at me."  
  
Keyes nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I know this is tough for you, but you're handling it a lot better than most people would."  
  
"Yeah, well... I live in Salem, I've gotten used to dealing with even the most unbelievable situations."  
  
Keyes half smiled at her and winked. "Well, I'm proud of you. You're doing pretty well."  
  
Chloe smiled back at him, but hesitated for a moment. "Keyes... can I ask you something? Something a little bit weird sounding?"  
  
Keyes raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Weird? Chloe, I've been around thousands of years, I've seen just about everything there is to see... You can ask me ANYTHING."  
  
"Okay then... Is it possible for people to know that I'm Chloe and not Jan? I don't mean because I tell them or something, I mean... is it possible for them to just know? When someone who knew me really well looks in my eyes... can they see the real me?"  
  
Keyes sighed thoughtfully and replied, "Honestly... yes. It's extremely rare, but it is possible. Granted, we haven't had much field-testing on this theory because we don't make mistakes like this very often. But, it is possible. If it was someone who knew the true Chloe before you passed away, then it's possible for them to see your soul even in another body."  
  
"The TRUE Chloe?" She wrinkled her brow in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Well, it's like this... In life, you meet a lot of people and you think you know them, but sometimes you don't really. You might only see what you want to see, and maybe you don't pay attention to what's really going on inside. Like how you might have felt about Jan, you saw the way she acted and the way she presented herself, but you didn't really know what was going on inside of her or why she acted that way. But then there are people... friends, family, lovers, whoever that see the TRUE you, even if you don't tell them. These are the people who can see through whatever you put out on the exterior and see what you're REALLY about."  
  
Chloe paused to take in his words. She mulled over them in her head for a moment before letting out a depressed sigh. "So... Shawn and Belle... they knew the real me. But, Phillip didn't? Because, when they look at me it's like they see through Jan and they see Chloe. But, Phillip... he just sees Jan. I thought he loved me, why wouldn't he see me?"  
  
Keyes frowned and laid a reassuring hand on Chloe's. "I don't know. But, it's also possible that he'll eventually be able to clear the haze from his brain and see you in there. I couldn't say if that's the case though. But, I'm sure he does love you..."  
  
"He just might not love the real me. He only loves what he's made me up to be in his head," She continued.  
  
"Not necessarily... only time will tell."  
  
Chloe groaned in frustration. "This is so irritating. Everything I thought I knew about him, I guess I don't... I'm not sure if I even know anything about ME anymore."  
  
"You'll figure it out. I can promise you that. And don't second guess me, I do work for the man upstairs, you know."  
  
Chloe chuckled softly. "Well, I feel reassured now. I think."  
  
"So, how's the new body holding up?"  
  
Chloe winced as she was reminded of the pains that sometimes shot through her. "Well, besides being shorter than I used to be... it hurts. I made the dumb mistake of trying to run something akin to a marathon today. Thank God for prescription pain medication."  
  
"I'll send him your regards."  
  
Chloe paused for a moment to figure out his reply. "Huh? Oh yeah, I get it... I said, Thank God... very funny. But seriously, I'm less than great, but better than terrible. Does that sound acceptable?"  
  
Keyes nodded and grinned. "Yes, but only because I know you'll get better."  
  
Chloe smiled widely and impulsively hugged him. "Thank you... I'm glad you stopped by."  
  
"Hey, I'm always here if you need me. I helped get you into this stupid mess, and I want to make sure that you get your fair shake. Besides, I have an eternity ahead of me... I can waste 10 minutes here and there in Salem."  
  
Chloe leaned out of the embraced and smiled again. "Good... I'm glad."  
  
"I'm glad you're glad. Now, I'm gonna go because I have a feeling that pain pill you took is going to work it's magic and send you into dreamland any second now."  
  
Chloe grinned slyly and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I have a low drug tolerance."  
  
"Catch ya later, then." Keyes winked slyly at her and disappeared in a quick flash of light.  
  
Chloe nodded and looked around the room. "Wow... impressive."  
  
Chloe laid back down on the bed and nuzzled her head into the pillow. She could feel the effects of the pills beginning already, and although she tried to fill her head with thoughts of Phillip, she could only hear Keyes' words echoing in her head. Chloe yawned and mumbled quietly as she drifted off to sleep, "He doesn't see the real Chloe..."  
*** 


	10. Brady-wan Kenobi

(Next Day)  
  
Chloe returned home from Jason's funeral around 1:30 that afternoon. Thankfully it was small, intimate and short and mostly uneventful. Although many of the same people who were at her funeral were there, she quickly slipped out and didn't speak to any of them. Chloe just wanted to go home and rest and not have to deal with people on this day. She had been through so much the day before, that she was glad to just be able to come home and finally start to move on from all the grieving and sadness. When she arrived home, Benjamin was waiting for her in the front entryway.  
  
"Good afternoon... you have a visitor waiting for you in the living room."  
  
Chloe raised her eyebrows in surprise, "A visitor? Right now? But... practically everyone I know was at the funeral. Who is it?"  
  
"I'm sorry... I forgot to ask his name. Young, blonde haired gentleman. He insisted on seeing you, and when I told him you weren't here, he insisted on waiting for you."  
  
"Really?" Chloe scrunched her face up in confusion. "Must be Phillip... maybe he left the funeral before I did."  
  
At least she hoped it was Phillip. Perhaps he had decided to soften up and give her a chance. Chloe decided there was only one way to find out, and she crossed her fingers as she entered the living room. She saw the back of a blonde head who was perusing the pictures on the fireplace mantle.  
  
She timidly called out, "Hello..."  
  
The young man turned and grinned at her. "Good afternoon..."  
  
Chloe sighed dejectedly, "Brady..."  
  
"Don't sound so disappointed. Sheesh. Who else were you expecting today? Brad Pitt?"  
  
"No, not Brad. Just not you... I'm not disappointed, just surprised."  
  
Brady sat down on the couch and nodded. "Yeah right... I know disappointment when I see it. But that's okay, I'm used to seeing that look on people's faces when I show up at their houses."  
  
Chloe sat down beside him. "I'm sorry. Don't take it the wrong way please... I am glad you're here. But, uhm... Why are you here?"  
  
"I... I am intrigued."  
  
Chloe nearly laughed out loud, but instead raised one eyebrow in his direction. "Intrigued? By me? Oooookay... wanna tell me what the heck you mean by that?"  
  
Brady chuckled softly and continued, "I don't exactly know... But, I do know that what you said the other day may have been right."  
  
"You mean when I said that many people think I am Satan?"  
  
Brady shook his head. "No, not that. I think maybe a leopard can change her spots."  
  
Chloe's expression changed from teasing to more serious. "And that's why you're here? You want to help me change those spots?"  
  
"Well, I hate to use the word 'help'. It's not like I plan to become your self-improvement guru or your Obi Wan Kenobi or something. I just think that as a person who has been in a situation similar to yours, maybe I can be there for you. You need a friend, a friend who knows what you're going through."  
  
Chloe sighed and nodded slightly. "Thank you... I appreciate the offer... Believe me, I need all the friends I can get. So, what's my first step on the road to bitchdom recovery?"  
  
Brady grinned slyly and replied, "Well, it's easy. Answer me one question: How and why did you become such a bitch?"  
  
Chloe laughed out loud. "Well, how and why is TWO questions. But, I'd rather hear about your own journey of self-discovery and recovery. So, tell me Brady Black, how and why did YOU become such a bastard?"  
  
"Hey, this isn't about my recovery. It's about yours."  
  
Chloe waved a teasing finger at him. "Oh no... If I just wanted to talk about me, and nothing else I could go see a shrink. But, since you're the one who 'knows what it feels like', then I want to hear about YOU first."  
  
Brady groaned and leaned back in his seat. "Fine, fine... whatever you want. My story is pretty simple. My mother died before I was old enough to have conscious memories of her. My stepmother treated me like a 'houseguest' instead of a son. I got a big chip on my shoulder. End of story."  
  
"Not the end of the story... you get along with your stepmom now, don't you?"  
  
"For the most part. But, it took a lot of work from both of us. I had to admit that I was blaming her for every bad thing that happened to me for no good reason. I used my childhood trauma as an excuse to get attention from everyone. And, Marlena apologized for living in the past for too long, and being jealous of my mother and taking it out on me. Your turn..."  
  
Chloe sighed and nervously bit her lip. Describing a pain that didn't belong to her was harder than she thought. This moment made Chloe glad that Jan had kept detailed diaries since she was much younger.  
  
"Well... the short form? My parents are wealthy business people who couldn't care less about me. They throw money and possessions in my face as their parenting techniques. They have never given me love, and I have literally no happy childhood memories that involve those two people. My happiest memories had to do with my grandmother, and she passed away when I was 12. So, I act out... I want attention, just like you said about yourself. I mean I've only recently realized that myself, but it's true. I guess, deep down, I figured that if I got myself in trouble and misbehaved than maybe they might at least acknowledge my existence."  
  
Brady placed a reassuring hand on hers. "And did they?"  
  
Chloe shook her head sadly. "No, of course not. I was in a very serious car accident less than a week ago, Brady. My boyfriend was killed, one of my classmates was killed, and I was nearly killed too. Did my parents come to visit me? Nope... they're out of the country and they couldn't be bothered to even come home to take care of me. I feel like an orphan... and I honestly don't think that I even know what REAL love is."  
  
Chloe had hot tears welling up in her eyes and she tried to suppress them from falling. Even though Jan's history wasn't something she shared, she did feel a sense of kinship. Chloe had never felt loved in her life either. She wiped her eyes and tried to shake away what she was feeling. Suddenly, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her as Brady held her close. She sighed and laid her head on his chest. Chloe wasn't sure why, but she felt safe and comfortable all of a sudden. Even before the accident, Chloe had always felt a connection with Brady. As much as they argued with each other, she knew he was the one person who understood the kind of pain that she had been through in her life.  
  
Brady leaned back but kept one arm around her shoulder, giving her a warm comforting smile. "You may not know what love is right now, or understand it... but I'm sure that somebody has loved you, you just have to think of that. That's what got me through all of my hard times, having my father and my sister. Your grandmother loved you, and I'm sure Jason did too."  
  
"I wouldn't be so sure about that..." Chloe sighed. "Jason wasn't exactly the most emotionally expressive person, you know. I don't think he really loved me... at least not the REAL me."  
  
Chloe looked downward and thought of Phillip again. Although unlike Jason in his ability to express his feelings, Chloe was beginning to believe that perhaps he had misused the expression of love. She wondered how he could love someone he didn't really know or trust.  
  
Brady nodded knowingly. "And what about you? Did you love him?"  
  
Chloe paused to think hard for a moment. She had always thought that she did love Phillip, but now she wondered if it was just infatuation or great affection. Chloe knew that Brady was asking about Jan, and not her, but she felt like she was responding as herself. The lines between Jan's feelings and her own were becoming blurred suddenly.  
  
"I... I don't know. I thought I did, I think I still do... but now, I don't know anymore. Like I said, I have a hard time defining what love is. Maybe what we had together was just infatuation or puppy love. I'm young and inexperienced, so how do I know what is deep and what is shallow, right?"  
  
"Right... I understand what you're getting it. It's hard to know what's real and what isn't. Love is strange, and difficult to understand."  
  
Chloe chuckled softly. "Ain't that the truth? So, what about you? How much do you know about love?"  
  
Brady's eyes widened in surprise. "Isn't that a personal question?"  
  
Chloe shook her head and grinned. "At this point... nope. You seem to want to know a lot about me, and I think you owe me the same thing. It's only fair, so stop trying to avoid my questions."  
  
"Boy, you are unrelenting. I guess I know what love is. I love my mother even though she's no longer with us. I love my father, and I love my sister more than anything in the world. And then there's my other family, like Phillip, Shawn, my Grandpa Victor. I care about what happens to them more than I care about myself. That's what love is to me."  
  
Chloe raised her eyebrows curiously. "And that's it? I mean, that's a nice theory. But, are you going to tell me that you've only loved like six people in your ENTIRE life? Everybody loves their family, even if they hate their family, they still love them... I think love is more confusing when it comes to people who you're not biologically obligated to love."  
  
Brady shrugged slightly. "Well, even if I am biologically obligated to love my family, that's not the only reason why I love them. Even if Belle wasn't my sister, she's still an amazing person, and I would still want to know her. Same goes for the rest of my family."  
  
"What about friends? Or a girlfriend? Someone who doesn't share your DNA, Brady. That's what I want to know about." Chloe knew that part of her was just dying to know who the girl was that Brady had never told how he felt, but that wasn't the only reason she was unrelenting with her questioning.  
  
"Geez, Jan... You're like Oprah or Barbara Walters all of a sudden. You really know how to give the third degree, don't you?"  
  
Chloe grinned and nodded proudly. "It's research... therapy even. So, spill it. I spilled my guts about Jason... you spill yours."  
  
Chloe saw sadness spread across his face as he sighed deeply. "Remember the girl that I mentioned yesterday?"  
  
Chloe nodded and motioned for Brady to continue. "I have a lot of regrets about the things that I've done, but one of my biggest regrets is something that I didn't do. I never told her that I loved her, and I don't think I'll ever the chance to do it now."  
  
"Why didn't you tell her?"  
  
Brady shrugged and replied, "I didn't really know it myself at first. I thought of her as just a friend, or someone I knew... but the more I got to know her, the more I began to care for her. And then one day, it just hit me... like a veil was lifted from my eyes almost... I realized that I loved her, and I had probably loved her since the day we met."  
  
Chloe's eyes widened as she watched the pain in his face grow with each word. She had never seen Brady's face look like this, and it hurt her deep inside to see him in so much pain.  
  
"But... you could have told her after you realized it. What happened?"  
  
Brady shook his head. "No, I couldn't do it. She was with somebody else, who was completely wrong for her I might add, and I just didn't have the guts to tell her. It wouldn't have been fair to make her question the way she felt about the other guy because of something I had to say. And, I don't think she thought of me that way anyway..."  
  
"But, you don't know that. Maybe she did feel the same and she just didn't know it, or was too afraid to say it. And, you don't know that you've lost your chance forever. Just because she moved away doesn't mean you won't meet up with her again someday."  
  
Brady hung his head in despair. "I wish that were true, but I KNOW that it's not. I can't tell you how I know that, but it's not possible. She's out of my life forever... and now I'll never know if there was a chance for us."  
  
Chloe hugged him tightly and sighed. "I am so sorry, Brady. I didn't know that it was this painful. I'm sorry that I made you talk about it."  
  
Brady leaned out of the embrace and looked at her with a weak smile. "No, don't be sorry. It actually feels better to be able to talk about it. I've never really told anyone about it, so this is almost a relief to be able to say it to someone."  
  
"Well, you said you would be here for me... so I'm here for you. I don't really have a lot of people who truly understand me, but I think you do. And, I think maybe I understand you too."  
  
Brady stared into her eyes, almost as if he was trying to figure out what was going on behind them. "You know... you really do remind me of her. It's amazing..."  
  
"Well, whoever she is... if you loved her that much, then I'll take that as a major compliment. Thank you."  
  
Brady broke the stare and grinned. "You're welcome. So, how do you feel about having taken your first steps towards change?"  
  
Chloe leaned back on the couch with a sigh. "Pretty good, actually. You've been a big help so far, oh wise and powerful guru."  
  
"Hey, I said I wasn't going to be your guru... I prefer the term MASTER."  
  
Chloe's jaw dropped in mock amazement. "You are a sick and twisted human being, aren't you?"  
  
Brady laughed and nodded. "The fact that you say that already means you know me better than I thought."  
  
Chloe shrugged and grinned. "What can I say? It's a gift."  
  
"A gift you might want to give back, probably." Brady checked his watch quickly and stood from the couch. "Anyway... I hate to cut our first therapy session short, but I've got an appointment to go to."  
  
Chloe stood and smiled at him. "Don't tell me you actually have a job to be at?"  
  
Brady grinned sheepishly and nodded. "Actually, yes. But, I work for my dad... so I get the freedom to come over here and guide you on your path to self-discovery."  
  
"Well, then you should get extra credit for that. At least you're not off at Dot.Com wasting precious time playing video games on your lunch hour or something."  
  
"No, that sounds more like something my dear Uncle PHillip would do."  
  
Chloe smiled and began walking with Brady towards the door. "You don't have to tell me. I've seen it first hand."  
  
Chloe stood with Brady at the front door and he gently grabbed her hand and held it in his own. He smiled reassuringly at her and spoke softly, "If you need anything... you know how to get a hold of me, right?"  
  
Chloe nodded and replied, "Yeah, I think so. And you too... you know where I live if you just want to say hello. And, thank you again..."  
  
"No need to thank me." Brady threw her a half-smile and wrapped his arms around her tightly. A moment later, he pulled out of the embrace and on the way out of it he gently brushed his lips on her cheek.  
  
"Take care of yourself, Jan..."   
  
He sheepishly bowed his head and quickly exited through the front door, leaving Chloe in complete shock. In all the time she had known Brady, and even as close as they had grown, he had never been that affectionate with her. She wondered what had caused him to hold her like that and kiss her on the cheek. Perhaps, the emotions brought up by discussing the mystery girl that he lost had stirred up something inside him, something that drove him to become more attached to her than she thought possible.  
*** 


	11. First Day

Chapter Eleven  
  
(A few days later...at school.)  
  
Chloe stood in front of Jan's locker in complete confusion. She had no clue as to what Jan's locker combination might be, or how to open it. Suddenly, she felt fingers tapping at her shoulder and she quickly turned to face Mimi.  
  
"Jan... Did you forget how to open your locker or something?"  
  
Chloe cringed in fake embarrassment. "Yeeeeah. I've been gone for almost two weeks, it just kinda slipped my mind."  
  
Mimi grinned and brushed Chloe aside, deftly turning the lock until the locker popped up in one swift move. She turned back to Chloe and smiled widely.  
  
"See, it's a good thing you told me a long time ago. I have a pretty good memory for numbers. It's 21-7-45 by the way."  
  
Chloe looked impressed. "Wow... thanks a lot, Meems."  
  
"Not a problem. So... you're back kinda early, aren't you?"  
  
"Just a few days. My doctor gave me the 'all clear' earlier than I expected. But, uhm... I don't have to do toilets and the showers right now. Not until I'm done with physical therapy anyway. Instead, I get to work in the office."  
  
Mimi sighed softly. "So, no poopy mildew hands for you, lucky girl. Have fun filing and filing and uhm... whatever else they do in there."  
  
Chloe grabbed a few things out of her new locker and shoved them in the backpack she was carrying. She shut the locker and turned back to Mimi with a sympathetic expression.  
  
"I'm sorry, Meems. I know it's not fair... but it's only for a couple of months."  
  
Mimi shrugged apathetically. "That's okay... I'll live. It'll just be lonely with only me and the sponges and mops. So, how ya been? I'm sorry I haven't really come by for a visit, but between school and babysitting Connor... I have no time for anything anymore."  
  
"I feel... good, actually. The accident was terrible, to say the least... and I'll never forget what happened, but I feel like something good will come out of it maybe. It's a brand new start for me. I don't know if it's because I'm changing, or because everyone feels sorry for me but Shawn and Belle have been calling and coming by my house all week, and Brady too."  
  
Mimi's eyes widened. "And Brady too? Boy, that's a surprise. Anyway, I think it's you, Jan. Shawn, Belle and ESPECIALLY Brady aren't the types to be your friend because they pity you. You really have changed, like a complete 360 or something. Before the accident, you weren't exactly the sunniest person to be around... and even though you're not like 'Teletubbies running on grassy hills' perky now, you're at least normal and you're actually pleasant to be around."  
  
"Wow... thanks. I'm glad to see that it IS possible for people to put the past behind them."  
  
Mimi shrugged and replied, "Well, we're young... we haven't had enough time to become as cynical and hardened as our parents."  
  
Chloe chuckled and nodded. "Lucky break for me, then."  
  
The bell rang through the hallways and the two girls walked across the hallway to their first class.  
***  
  
(Lunchtime...)  
  
Chloe was one of the first in the lunchroom on her first day back at school. She quickly grabbed a sandwich and made her way to a small round empty table. After taking a few bites of her sandwich, she was joined by Shawn, Belle and Mimi.  
  
Belle smiled happily at her as she sat down with her lunch. "Hey Jan... how's the first day back coming along?"  
  
"I never thought I'd say this... but I'm actually GLAD to be at school."  
  
Shawn blinked his eyes rapidly in shock and grinned. "Really? Have you had your temperature checked lately? You MUST be delirious."  
  
Chloe laughed and shook her head. "Nope... I'm serious. After almost two weeks of doing absolutely nothing, I'm relieved to actually have a purpose to my day. Sitting in a hospital room or in my house 24 hours a day is extremely boring. School is a like a break from all of that."  
  
Mimi shook her head in awe. "Jan... you frighten me. I'd love to have a week off." Mimi paused thoughtfully and continued, "But I wouldn't want to be in a car accident, so never mind."  
  
Chloe nodded with a grin. "You know what else is weird? You completely lose track of time when you don't have school to go to. I didn't know what day of the week it was half of the time, or even the time of day because I'm so used to having a schedule."  
  
Belle nodded sympathetically. "As someone who has also spent a great deal of time in the hospital and out of school, I know EXACTLY what you're saying."  
  
"Well, it's good that someone does." Chloe smiled thankfully at her. "By the way, I don't know if I had the chance to thank you both for coming over and keeping me company. If it hadn't of been for you two, and Brady, I would have gone insane this week."  
  
Belle smiled widely. "Not a problem. It's been surprisingly fun."  
  
Chloe chuckled softly. "Funny... it seems that 'surprising' is a word that has become associated with my name quite frequently in the past couple of weeks."  
  
Shawn raised an eyebrow and pointed a finger in Chloe's direction. "Speaking of surprising, what is up with you and Brady?"  
  
"What?" Chloe sat back in her seat in surprise. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"How many times has he been over to your house in the past week?"  
  
Chloe shrugged. "I don't know... four times, maybe?"  
  
"And how many times has he called you on the phone?"  
  
"Uhm... every day. What's your point, Shawn?"  
  
Shawn leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms across his chest. "I think Brady Black has a little crush on you, Jan."  
  
Chloe nearly choked on her soda and her eyes widened in shock. "You have gone INSANE, Shawn Brady. That's absolutely ridiculous. He's just trying to be a friend, and trying to help me get through some of my issues. That's it, and that's all."  
  
Belle bit her lip thoughtfully and interjected. "You know, Jan... Maybe Shawn isn't too far off in his thinking. My brother talks about you a lot, and calls you all the time and goes to see you. He's usually pretty much a loner, and besides me, the only person he has hung out with a lot was Chloe."  
  
Chloe shook her head vehemently. "No, no, no, no. You two are imagining things that aren't there. Besides, Jason died less than two weeks ago, don't you think it'd be inappropriate for him to put the moves on me?"  
  
Mimi nodded and spoke to Belle. "Yeah, she's right about that. Totally inappropriate. Besides, Belle, you mentioned that he was close with Chloe, so maybe he's clinging to Jan to try and get over Chloe's death."  
  
Chloe stuck her lower lip out and thought to herself that she should scale back her Chloe act, to keep people from getting suspicious. "Well, don't think of me as a Chloe replacement or something. That is BEYOND weird. Plus, it would make Phillip's head explode."  
  
The group laughed in unison at the idea that Chloe's worst enemy was now a friend to all of them.   
  
Mimi nodded and retorted, "I didn't mean that you ARE replacing Chloe, because that would be weird. I just meant that maybe he's helping you out, but also helping himself at the same time. Like, he doesn't have to be hurting about Chloe if he can think about helping you instead. That's all."  
  
Shawn shrugged slightly in defeat. "Maybe you two are right... but it's still weird and somewhat un-Brady like."  
  
Chloe paused thoughtfully and looked at Belle. "So did this whole Chloe thing really hurt Brady that much? I mean, I know they were friends, but I didn't think they were as close as you and Chloe. Brady doesn't seem the type to get weepy about very many things."  
  
Belle nodded sadly. "You'd be surprised, really. Chloe was my one of my best friends, but I know how she is, and she would have told me not to go around moping and crying all the time. I can just hear her saying, 'Belle, I'm not that important. Don't waste your time moping over me. Enjoy what you have instead.' So, that's what I'm doing. I still grieve for her, and it still hurts a lot, but I have to move on and keep living my life like she'd want me to. But Brady... he's totally different. He's been a complete wreck since he found out. I think he knew what a special person she was, and it kills him that she's gone. He doesn't think I notice, but I've seen him cry... and I saw him at the funeral... he was a complete mess. Worse than any of us..."  
  
Chloe smiled weakly, she knew that Belle had hit the nail on the head. She wanted Belle and everyone else to be happy and not to waste their time grieving over her. She only wanted happiness for the people she cared about, and she hoped that Phillip would eventually take a lesson from Shawn, Belle and Mimi. Chloe wanted him to move on and find happiness, and not be this cold, angry person he had become.  
  
"Brady seems fine now..." Chloe paused and sighed softly. "Because he's got a project to work on. Me."  
  
Belle sighed in return. "Don't think of yourself as a 'project'. You're a friend, and I'm glad. Brady needs a friend right now, and so do you. You're having as much of an effect on him as he is on you."  
  
Chloe nodded and took a sip of her soda, glad to hear that she was somehow helping Brady deal with his grief, but still amazed that he was feeling it so deeply. They were good friends, and had a unique connection, but she never knew that he would be hurt so badly by her death. Chloe shook those thoughts away as she heard Mimi groan under her breath.  
  
"Oh great... here comes Mr. Bad Attitude..."  
  
All heads turned as they noticed Phillip had come into the cafeteria and was walking towards the soda machine.  
  
Chloe frowned and she started to pick up her tray. "I guess that's my cue to leave."  
  
Shawn shook his head vehemently and put his hand on her tray. "No way, Jan. Don't make Phillip force you out of existence. Stay right where you are."  
  
Belle nodded in agreement and continued Shawn's train of thought. "Yeah, he's just going to have to get used to you being around, that's all. We like having you here, and he needs to get over it."  
  
"I just don't want to have any more confrontations... I'm tired of it. I know that he's in pain, I understand that. But, hating me is not going to heal it. I've been in pain for most of my life, but I finally realized that acting like a demon isn't going to make it go away. It just makes it worse."  
  
Mimi nodded sympathetically. "You're totally right. Phillip needs to CHILL out. He's never going to get over Chloe if he acts like such a jerk all the time."  
  
"I'm still going to go. He needs his friends right now more than anything, and I don't want you guys shutting him out just for my sake."  
  
Chloe stood from the table and Shawn looked up at her, placing his hand on her arm. "You don't have to go."  
  
Chloe smiled sweetly at him. "I know, thank you. But, I am going to. He needs you guys more than I do right now... believe it or not, I think I'm more stable than he is right now. Maybe we can work out a custody plan later on. I get you on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he gets you on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays, we rotate weekends. Something like that..."  
  
Chloe laughed softly and turned to leave, but Phillip was standing right behind her. Her smile disappeared and she felt a lump in her throat. Her heart missed him so much, but not this Phillip, the Phillip she had known before the accident. Looking into his eyes, she barely recognized the person he used to be and only saw the sad, angry young man he had become.  
  
"Jan..."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes and muttered, "Phillip..." Phillip just stared at her with a steely gaze, and she continued, "Don't trouble yourself. I was just leaving."  
  
"Good..."  
  
Chloe turned to Shawn, Belle and Mimi and waved at them. "Good luck... you'll need it."  
  
Chloe sighed and took her food outside to the courtyard. She sat underneath a tree and finished her sandwich and soda in silence. Chloe wondered if Keyes had been right about this whole 'true Chloe' thing. Maybe Phillip didn't love her as deeply as she had thought. They were young and naive after all. Chloe may have acted mature, but her inexperienced heart wondered how you could tell the difference between puppy love and true love, and if she would ever figure it out.  
***  
(I've been in the midst of a family emergency combined with my own health problems lately, so that's why this has been taking so long. I apologize.) 


	12. Progression

Chapter Twelve  
  
(Later...)  
  
Chloe returned home from school and immediately went upstairs to her room. She threw her books on the desk and sat on the edge of the bed. The red light on her answering machine was flashing so she leaned forward and hit the button.  
  
"BEEP... Hey Jan, this is Brady. I thought you'd be home from school already, but I guess not. Give me a call when you get in, if you feel like it. Bye..."  
  
The machine beeped again and spat the time out in an electronic voice, "Monday, 3:01 p.m."  
  
Chloe glanced at the clock and noticed it was now 5:00, so she reached over and dialed the number to the Black penthouse.  
  
It rang twice before being picked up. "Hello."  
  
"Brady... hello."  
  
"Jan... what's up?"  
  
"Well, you called me, so what's up with you?"  
  
"Yeah... why weren't you home?"  
  
Chloe twirled the cord around one finger and smiled. "Awww, that's so sweet. You're checking up on me. Either that or you're obsessive and sick. Anyway, I have to work in the office during third period and after school, so I won't get home until 5 or 5:30 most nights."  
  
"I am not checking up on you, nor am I obsessive and sick. I just wanted to see if you were busy tonight."  
  
"Nope, I'm not. Light to minimum chance of homework, so I'm pretty much free. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Thought I'd come over and say hello. That is... unless you're sick of having me around."  
  
Chloe broke into a wide smile and replied, "I could never get sick of you."  
  
Chloe paused and let the cord slip from her finger. She fearfully realized what that statement might have implied to Brady, and couldn't imagine from where inside of her that it had come from.  
  
Brady paused on his end, as if he too were trying to decipher it's meaning. He broke the silence with a chuckle and spoke, "Just you wait. Everybody gets sick of me eventually."  
  
Chloe quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to lead Brady on, especially at a time when she wasn't even sure of what she was feeling.  
  
"Well, until I DO get sick of you, just come on over. Benjamin will let you in, then just come upstairs... I'll be in my room studying."  
  
"Okay then... I've got a couple things to do here, so I'll see you in about an hour."  
  
"Alright then. Bye." Chloe hung up the phone but left her hand on the receiver. She tried to shake off the idea that she or Brady might be beginning to think of each other as more than friends. It was impossible, she told herself, she still loved Phillip and Brady still loved his mystery girl. Or at least she thought that she loved Phillip, but now she was beginning to doubt that she even knew what true love was.  
***  
  
(One hour later...)  
  
Chloe was laid out on her bed with her schoolbooks surrounding her, flipping through the latest chapter in her government book. She heard a soft knocking at the door and shut the book.  
  
"Come on in..."  
  
Brady opened the door slowly and grinned as he stepped into her room. "Soooo, this is the inner sanctum of Jan Spears?"  
  
Chloe sat up and straightened her clothes out. "That's right... you've never been up here. I usually don't let you past the living room or the kitchen."  
  
Brady nodded proudly. "Then I must have passed the trust test... You're letting a man you hardly know into your bedroom."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Don't worry, Brady... I don't think of you that way."  
  
"As someone you hardly know?"  
  
Chloe shook her head. "No, as a man."  
  
Brady placed one hand over his heart mockingly, as if he had been shot down. "Ouch. That hurt. That really hurt."  
  
Chloe smiled widely, very proud of herself. "So, what brings you here anyway?"  
  
Brady smiled and winked at her. "Well, I didn't come here to be mocked. I came here to see if you wanted to go out to dinner with me tonight."  
  
Chloe paused for a moment and furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion. "I don't know, Brady... we shouldn't..."  
  
Brady interrupted, lost in his own confused state. "What? You don't eat anymore? I know that you high school girls like to watch your weight, but a little dinner isn't going to kill you."  
  
"No, it's not that... it's just... you're not asking me on a date, are you?"  
  
Brady started to blush and took a step backwards. "Jan... no, I'm not. Don't be silly. We're friends, and friends can go eat together without it being more than that. Right?"  
  
Chloe cringed and felt her face flush bright red. Damn Shawn and Belle for putting those thoughts in her head today, she thought to herself. "Oh, I am SUCH an idiot. How could I even think that? I'm sorry, Brady... Just smack me in the head next time I get out of line."  
  
Brady laughed and replied, "That's okay. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea. But, now that I've been mocked and you've been embarrassed, we can call it even. Now... about that dinner?"  
  
Chloe half-smiled and stood from the bed. "Okay, okay... I AM hungry, I just wasn't going to be if you wanted to feel me up afterwards or something."  
  
Brady laughed and again and grabbed her hand. "Don't worry, I'm only taking you to the Brady Pub. I only expect to cop a feel if I take you to Tuscany or something."  
  
Chloe's eyes widened suddenly and Brady winked at her again. "Just kidding, Jan."  
  
She breathed a quiet sigh of relief and followed him downstairs.  
***  
  
(At the Brady Pub...)  
  
Chloe and Brady sat across from each other in a booth at the pub, both perusing their menus intently.  
  
"So, Jan... Have you ever been here before?"  
  
Chloe paused and tried to remember if she had ever seen Jan here, but figured Jan wasn't the type to hang out at a pub and replied, "Uhm, no... not really. It's owned by Shawn's grandparents, right?"  
  
"Uh-huh. And they have the best cheeseburgers in the entire town of Salem. Maybe even the entire world."  
  
"I don't eat red meat... but I'm sure they are fabulous."  
  
Brady shook his head shamefully as he had done so many times before when witnessing Chloe order a veggie burger or something made with turkey. He turned his attention back to his menu and muttered under his breath, "Weird..."  
  
Chloe tried to suppress her laughter and laid her menu down on the table. She swallowed the laugh in her throat as Caroline Brady came to their table.  
  
"Hey there... good evening, Brady. How are you?"  
  
Brady laid his menu down and smiled at Caroline. "Hi, Mrs. Brady. I'm pretty good. This is my friend, Jan... she goes to school with Shawn and Belle."  
  
Caroline smiled sweetly at Chloe and spoke, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Jan. Any friend of Brady Black's is welcome here any time."  
  
Chloe smiled widely at her. She had always had the utmost respect for Caroline, as did everyone else who knew her. "Thanks, Mrs. Brady... it's nice to meet you too. Shawn talks about you all the time."  
  
"That's my grandson, he's such a sweetie... So, have you two figured out what you're going to order yet?"  
  
Brady grinned and nodded. "I have. I'll have my usual burger, fries and shake. Jan?"  
  
"Uhmmmm... I'll have a turkey sandwich on whole wheat, and a salad with Italian dressing, no cucumbers, and a diet coke, please."  
  
Caroline grabbed their menus and nodded, "You got it. Coming right up." She turned quickly and headed back towards the kitchen.  
  
Chloe looked back at Brady who was staring at her with one eyebrow raised. "No cucumbers?"  
  
She shifted nervously in her seat and shrugged her shoulders. "So? I'm allergic..." Or at least my old body was, she thought to herself.  
  
Brady's expression seemed to change and suddenly cloud over. "Chloe was too. In fact, you just ordered the same exact thing that she did the last time we came here together. That's so... odd."  
  
Chloe paused, it was almost as if Brady had seen a ghost, and the expression on his face made her somewhat uneasy. She kept reverting back to her old Chloe-like habits without realizing that it might freak people out.   
  
She decided to try and lighten the moment with a sly grin and a remarked, "Brady... do you know what is the most odd about that?"  
  
Brady shrugged, still in shock. "I don't know... what?"  
  
"That you would REMEMBER the exact thing that Chloe would order down to the 'no cucumbers' and the Diet Coke. I can't remember what I ate yesterday, much less what I ate with someone three weeks ago."  
  
"I have an eye for detail, okay?"  
  
"Or, you're just weird."  
  
Brady broke his seriousness with a laugh and threw his napkin at her. "Hey, don't call me weird. I'm not the one who won't eat a cheeseburger like any other red-blooded American would."  
  
Chloe laughed and threw his napkin back to him. "I don't like food that moos, okay?"  
  
"But gobble gobble gobble is just fine with you?"  
  
"Yeah, well... I can't explain it. Leave me alone." Chloe crossed her arms and pouted slightly.  
  
Brady nodded and took a sip of his water. "Ahh, the mature, dignified way to go about it. Pout, pout, pout."  
  
Chloe tried to hold her pout for as long as she could, but eventually gave in to the silly faces that Brady was making at her.  
  
"Fine, you win... I'm a big vegetarian hypocrite. So, on to something else... what do you wanna do after this? I really don't have much homework, thanks to Mimi getting me caught up, just get me home in time for my beauty rest."  
  
Brady checked his watch and gasped. "Beauty rest? We better get you home right away then..."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. "Ha ha. Very funny. But seriously... do you know how to ice skate?"  
  
"Ice skate? Only because of hockey, don't think that I'm into all that frou-frou Dorothy Hamill crap."  
  
Chloe chuckled and nodded. "Then... Ice-skating it is. It's the only cool thing to do in winter around here anyway."  
  
Brady paused thoughtfully and pointed at her with one finger. "Wait a second... don't you like need a note from your doctor or something?"  
  
"Well, my physical therapist encourages movement, just not overextension or like being bent over for an extended period of time... that's why mopping floors is out. But, exercise is a must. Besides, I feel great really and I'm healing pretty fast... as long as I don't try triple lutz myself into the next county, I think I can handle it. Just a couple times around and we'll go home."  
  
"Good... I just wanted to make sure I won't have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you to the emergency room when you throw your back out."  
  
Chloe laughed and muttered under her breath, "You wish..."  
  
Brady didn't have a chance to retort as the waitress came and laid down their orders. They hungrily dug into them, and spent most of their meal in idle chit-chat or in silence.  
***  
  
(Post skating...)  
  
Chloe sat on a bench at the edge of the rink untying her ice skates. She hurriedly stuffed her chilly feet back into her shoes and put the skates aside. Brady came walking up from behind her and put a Styrofoam cup in front of her face.  
  
Chloe took it from his hand and examined it closely. "Wow. Hot chocolate with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon. How did you know that was my favorite?"  
  
Brady sat down beside her with his own cup in hand and shrugged. "You're allergic to cucumbers."  
  
Chloe laughed and gave him a strange glance. "And this was how Chloe liked her hot chocolate too?"  
  
"Yeah..." Brady nodded proudly. "And, I wagered a guess that you might like the same drink too. Guess I was right."  
  
Chloe took a sip of her drink and grinned at him. "Spooky... So, Brady, can I ask you something personal?"  
  
"No, I've never tried to imagine you naked."  
  
Chloe laughed and smacked him playfully on the arm. "Well, that's not what I was going to ask, but thank you for the information. Anyway, I'm being serious here..."  
  
Brady stopped smiling and nodded. "Go ahead... ask away."  
  
"Okay, you don't have to answer it if you don't want to... but, I want to know what your mystery girl was like. I know that she's your great lost love, but I really don't know much else about her."  
  
Brady sighed sadly. "Why do you want to know? I mean, I'll answer your question, I just want to know why you're so curious about her."  
  
Chloe shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I just want to know what kind of girl gets your motor running. You're not an easy person to get to, Brady, so I want to know what did it with this girl. It's curiosity."  
  
Brady looked at her suspiciously. "You're not going to try to set me up on a blind date or something? Because, please DON'T do that."  
  
Chloe shook her head and laughed. "No, I won't... I swear. Now, tell me all about your little slice of perfection that I like to call 'mystery girl'."  
  
Brady raised both eyebrows at once. "Perfect? She was hardly perfect. But, that's what I loved about her. Perfect is boring, and although there was nothing I would have changed about her, it was her imperfections that made her so interesting."  
  
Chloe gave him a surprised glance. "Really? When you ask most people about being in love, they always tell you how wonderful and perfect their significant other is. Not so for you?"  
  
"No, that's not for me at all. Nobody is perfect. And if a guy doesn't accept you, faults and all, then he's not really loving you the way you deserve to be loved. I never tried to change her into a different person, I just wanted her to be the best version of herself that I knew she could be. I wanted her to shine as brightly as possible, but not for me, for HER. Her boyfriend wasn't the same way, he just wanted her to be his own ideal of what perfect should be."  
  
"You sure seem to know a lot about what her boyfriend apparently wanted? You're not psychic, are you?"  
  
Brady shook his head. "No, but I knew the guy well enough to see him for what he was. It was merely puppy love, he loved her but he didn't know her like I did."  
  
Chloe nodded in understanding. "That's a pretty powerful assumption. So, what made you fall for her?"  
  
"It's hard to explain. From the day we met, there was this connection... like we had known each other for a million years. We used to fight a lot, and say some really harsh things to each other, so it probably seemed like she'd be the last girl on earth I'd go for. But, I only said those things to challenge her, to make her understand that she could do so much with her life if she just tried harder."  
  
Chloe suddenly felt a chill run up her spine and she shivered. His words sounded so familiar to her, but she was unsure as to why. Brady noticed her movement and put an arm around her to keep her warm.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
Chloe nodded slowly, unsure about the words still echoing in her head. "Yeah, just a little chill... that's all. Keep going, please."  
  
Brady nodded and rubbed her arm, continuing his talk, "So, we were hardly friends at first, and then we were just kinda thrown together and became friends. We always understood each other, even from the beginning she was one of the few who has ever understood me. The connection we had between us, I don't know, it kind of transcended even the times when we weren't getting along. But besides that, she was a lot like you... tough on the outside, but surprisingly funny and kind too. She would make mistakes, but pick up the pieces and figure out what she did wrong instead of continuing to make them. But, she was pretty bad about holding a grudge..."  
  
Brady laughed at a memory that he was keeping to himself and continued, "I think she was just learning how not to dwell on all the pain and misery when we... parted ways. She spent a long time mulling over her hardships, but just like you, she was learning how to put them where they belong... in the past."  
  
Chloe smiled and gazed into his blue eyes. She was suddenly seeing something she had never seen there before. Love was glowing in his blue eyes, he had truly loved this mystery girl, a girl whose name he could not even utter in front of her. Chloe silently wondered why he would not say her name. He smiled back at her and she felt something flutter in her stomach, but tried to push it away.  
  
"Brady... I can't even imagine being loved like that. She would have been lucky to have you."  
  
"Too bad she didn't realize that before it was too late. So, you're telling me that Jason didn't love you?"  
  
Chloe thought of Phillip and shook her head sadly. Although she would never deny that Phillip had cared about her, she now knew for sure that it wasn't the kind of love that Brady was talking about. Phillip didn't really know the real her, he had never understood her inner conflicts, her deep thoughts, and her dreams and aspirations. He had loved the parts of Chloe that she showed to everyone, but never bothered to look beyond that and love every part of her. But Chloe never complained before, she didn't think it was possible to find someone to love her more than Phillip did.   
  
Chloe sighed as she spoke to Brady, "No, he didn't. Not like that."  
  
Brady still had his arm around her and used his free hand to brush a stray piece of hair from her face. "Well, you deserve better than that. Don't accept anything less than REAL love."  
  
"I won't... not anymore."  
  
Brady smiled weakly and left his hand on her cheek for a moment. There was a long pause between them as they gazed into each other's eyes, each of them wondering what the other was thinking. Brady broke the pause when he leaned in towards her and planted a soft kiss on her lips. It didn't last long, but it made Chloe's chilled body tingle from head to toe. She stared at him with wide eyes, too stunned to speak, and he replied with a grin on his face.  
  
"Good... because if you ever sell yourself short again, I'll just have to punish you."  
  
Chloe laughed, pushing thoughts of the kiss out of her head. "That's so sweet... except for the punishment part."  
  
Brady shrugged and laughed. "Don't worry, I'd be gentle with you."  
  
Chloe cringed in her seat as Brady moved his arm away from her back. "I don't even wanna think about it. Scary."  
  
Brady stood from the bench and offered her a helping hand. "Ready to go?"  
  
Chloe grabbed his hand and nodded, standing from the bench quickly. "Definitely."  
  
They rode most of the way home quietly, Chloe tried to stare at Brady for a while and figure out what was going on inside his head. She prayed that he wasn't trying to see her as some kind of replacement for the girl that got away. Her head was filled with those thoughts, but deep down a new thought had begun gnawing away at her slowly. She wondered if it was possible that she could be feeling more than friendly towards him, the feel of his lips on hers had been almost electric. It had also been terribly confusing to her already muddled brain.  
  
Brady dropped her off in front her house and after a quick goodbye, she hopped out and ran inside. She quickly went upstairs and grabbed the telephone off of her night table, dialing as fast as she could. The phone rang twice before it was answered.  
  
"Hello..."  
  
"Belle! I HAVE to talk to you... RIGHT AWAY."  
***  
(to be continued...)  



	13. Moment of Clarity

Chapter Thirteen  
  
(Instant Replay!)  
  
Brady dropped her off in front of her house and after a quick goodbye, she hopped out and ran inside. She quickly went upstairs and grabbed the telephone off of her night table, dialing as fast as she could. The phone rang twice before it was answered.  
  
"Hello..."  
  
"Belle! I HAVE to talk to you... RIGHT AWAY."  
  
"Jan? What is it? Are you okay?"  
  
Chloe took a deep breath before replying, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just really want to talk to you. Are you busy?"  
  
"No, I'm at Shawn's actually, but he was just getting ready to drive me home. I'll have him drive me to your house instead. Are you SURE you're okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure. I just have a problem, and I think you're the only one who might have some insight in to it."  
  
"Okay, I'll be there in about 20 minutes."  
  
"Just come straight upstairs when you get here. I'll be in my room."  
  
"Okay, I'll see you in a few."  
  
The phone clicked on Belle's end and Chloe hung the phone back up. She laid down on the bed and breathed a sigh of relief. Chloe kicked off her shoes and got comfortable while she waited for Belle to arrive.  
***  
  
Belle peeked around the half-open door to Chloe's room and smiled at her, "Hey Jan... what's going on?"  
  
Chloe sat up on the bed and motioned for Belle to come in. "Uhm... come on in. Have a seat."  
  
Belle came all the way in and sat on the edge of the bed facing Chloe. "So, what's the big emergency?"  
  
"It's Brady."  
  
"Brady? What happened? Is there something wrong with him? Did he do something to hurt you?"  
  
Chloe shook her head. "No, he's fine and he didn't do anything to me. It's just, as his sister and probably his best friend, there are a few things I want to ask you about him."  
  
Belle looked slightly confused. "Ooookay, go ahead."  
  
Chloe paused nervously and took a deep breath. "Perhaps it's best if I start from the beginning... The day of Chloe's memorial, I went down to the pier and I ran into Brady. He was upset, and we argued a little bit, but then he told me that I reminded him of a girl that he used to know. So, as our friendship has been progressing I've been finding out a little bit more about this mystery girl. Your brother loved her VERY deeply, but he never told her because she had a boyfriend already. I guess whatever happened, and now he's pretty much lost his chance to ever tell her how he felt. He's absolutely heartbroken, Belle."  
  
Belle was stunned and asked, "And does this girl have a name?"  
  
"That's kinda what I was hoping you would help me figure out. He's never mentioned her name... AT ALL. I have no idea who it could be. Did he ever talk to you about stuff like this?"  
  
Belle shook her head in shock and shrugged slightly. "He talked to me about some of his ex-girlfriends or crushes, but he never mentioned something like this. A girl who had a boyfriend, and now he's lost his chance. I don't know, Jan. I'm stumped."  
  
Chloe paused and absently ran a hand through her hair. She closed her eyes for a second to think and saw Brady's face in her mind, his blue eyes shining at her, his warm smile. A sudden wave of clarity washed over her and her eyes snapped open quickly. "Oh no... it can't be. I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner. Oh, I'm so stupid...."  
  
Belle's eyes widened, both of them filled with confusion. "Figure what out? What did you figure out?"  
  
"Just think about it, Belle. This is a girl that Brady spent a lot of time with, but they were just friends. He told me they fought a lot at first, but that they always had a connection."  
  
Belle's jaw dropped in shock as she waved her hands wildly. "OH MY GOD! IT'S CHLOE!?!"  
  
Chloe nodded calmly, but inside she was truly freaking out. "I know... I can't believe it. I should have figured it out a long time ago.   
  
Belle placed one hand on her forehead. "Ohhhh... I should have known so long ago. I mean, I always suspected that he kinda had a crush on her, but I didn't think it was anything MORE than just that."  
  
"You mean you suspected something?"  
  
Belle nodded uneasily. "Well, sort of. Like I said, I thought it was just a crush, I didn't think he had fallen in love with her. I always likened it to more of a 'Brady thinks that Chloe is hot.' sort of thing. I didn't know that he was in LOVE with her. That's entirely different."  
  
"Oh geez... how come I nev..." Chloe stammered nervously, "How come Chloe never noticed? You'd think if a guy were head over heels for you, you'd know it."  
  
Belle shook her head. "Not necessarily. I mean, Chloe and Phillip were really wrapped up in each other. She probably never gave it a second thought. She loved PHillip, and Brady was just a friend... she probably never thought past that level."  
  
Chloe sighed and nodded in understanding. "Wow... I guess that explains why Brady was so tore up by Chloe's death, and why he'll never be able to tell her that he loves her."  
  
"Really makes you think, doesn't it? You should never hold back something like that, because you never know if that person is still going to be here tomorrow."  
  
Chloe's expression became sadder. "He said that he didn't want to make her doubt how she felt about her boyfriend, that it wouldn't be fair to do that. And, he didn't think that Chloe would feel the same way."  
  
Belle sighed sadly, feeling tortured over the pain that her brother must be going through. "It's so unfair... I wish he would have told her, I wish he could still tell her. She'd want to know, no matter what. Honesty was so important to Chloe."  
  
"Yeah, she would have wanted to know for sure. I guess there's a lesson in here somewhere about never letting things go unsaid, right?"  
  
Belle nodded in agreement. "No kidding... that's so sad. I just wonder how she would have reacted. Chloe was totally in love with Phillip, I can't imagine what this would have done to her."  
  
Chloe bit her lip, deep in thought. "I know she would have been confused. But, if you had seen what I saw in his face tonight, the sound of his voice when he talked about her... it was amazing. He loved her more than I've ever seen anybody love someone. It's hard to resist something like that."  
  
Belle raised her eyebrows curiously. "What happened tonight, anyway? What happened to make this conversation so urgent?"  
  
"I think that he's trying to replace Chloe... with me. I don't think he realizes what he's doing, but it's starting to become clear to me." Chloe paused for a moment and thought to herself, he doesn't know it but he's replacing Chloe with the real thing.  
  
"What makes you think that?"  
  
"He's always saying how much I remind him of her, and he's been spending a lot of time with me, and... He kissed me."  
  
Belle's eyes widened in shock. "He KISSED you? Whoa..."  
  
Chloe nodded and shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, it wasn't like a 'Leonardo Dicaprio on the front of the Titanic' kind of kiss, it was just a quick kiss on the lips. No tongue or anything pornographic occurred."  
  
"But still, he kissed you... Do you think he's falling for you now?"  
  
"No, I think he still loves Chloe. And... He just sees some of what he loved about her in me, so he's growing an unnatural attachment to me because of his loss." Only, it wasn't a truly unnatural attachment, but she couldn't tell Belle that.  
  
Belle nodded. "What about you? What did the kiss mean to you? Obviously, you freaked about it and that's why you called me... but do you think that maybe you might, you know, care about Brady?"  
  
Chloe wrung her hands in frustration. "Well, honestly... I can't say that I was repulsed by the kiss. In fact, it was kind of nice. I do CARE about Brady, he's a very good friend, but I have never examined the possibility of there being anything more there. Until now..."  
  
"So, there might be something there?"  
  
"Maybe, I feel SOMETHING for him, although I'm not sure what it is. But, he still loves Chloe... he doesn't love Jan. There's a big HUGE brick wall there."  
  
Belle groaned in frustration. "This just sucks. He never had closure with Chloe, and that's what he needs before he can move on with his life."  
  
"Yeah, I need some of my own closure too. Maybe you can help me with my closure, and maybe I can help Brady get his."  
  
"What kind of closure do YOU need?"  
  
"I can't explain why, but I need to make peace with Phillip. I know things haven't been easy on him lately, but I need him to be okay around me. I'm tired of all this hatred and pain."  
  
Belle sighed softly and nodded in agreement. "I am too. I hate seeing him like this... I know he's hurting, but he won't let anybody help him."  
  
"Then maybe it's time for an intervention. You know, like people do for alcoholics."  
  
Belle grinned and laughed out loud. "So, we all basically gather together so we can tell Phillip face to face what a jerk he's been."  
  
Chloe laughed along with her and nodded. "Yeah, something like that. Maybe not in those EXACT words, but its time for him to realize that his actions are doing a lot more harm than he knows."  
  
"You're right. We've tried to treat him like a fragile little thing that's going to break, but now I guess it's time for total blunt honesty."  
  
Chloe nodded vehemently. "Absolutely... he needs to be woken up before he loses everyone that he cares about. And that's what he needs to be told."  
  
"I couldn't agree more. And, I'm sure Shawn and Mimi will too. I'll talk to them at school tomorrow, and we'll plan something."  
  
Chloe stood from the bed and slipped her bare feet into her shoes. "Cool... now let me grab my keys and I'll drive you home. It's the least I can do for making you come over here at this time of night."  
  
Belle stood and checked her watch. "Yeah, it is getting late, don't want my parents to worry. And, don't worry about making me come over... if you need someone to talk to, you can ALWAYS call me."  
  
Chloe smiled widely. "Thank you, I appreciate that. Could you do me one more favor though?"  
  
"Sure... what is it?"  
  
Chloe gazed at her pleadingly. "PLEASE, don't tell Brady that you came over here tonight. I don't want him to suspect that something is up."  
  
Belle nodded in understanding. "Oh, no problem. My lips are sealed."  
  
"Thank you... now, follow me please." Chloe led Belle out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Her head was still swimming, unsure of what she was feeling for Brady Black right now, but sure that her heart had seen a side of him she had never seen before. It was a side of him that she wished to see more often.  
***  



	14. An Idea Begins To Take Root....

Chapter Fourteen  
  
(Two days later... at school.)  
  
Chloe stood at her locker staring into the blackness inside and thinking of Brady. She had spent the past two days remember all of the time they had spent together before the accident, finally beginning to understand the feelings that he had for her. She hadn't realized it at the time, because she was busy attempting to be the perfect girlfriend for Phillip, but Brady Black was a very easy person to fall in love with. The locker clanked shut and Chloe turned to face Shawn and Belle as they were walking up behind her.  
  
"Shawn and Belle... Belle and Shawn... two of my favorite people... What's going on?"  
  
Shawn grinned at her and replied. "Hey Jan... I think we have the plan figured out for our Phillip intervention."  
  
Belle nodded and continued his thought, "Yeah, I talked to Mimi this morning, and it's all set up. Just come over to my house about 5:45 and we'll bring Phillip over at 6 o'clock. We're going to dot.com after school, and then we'll just tell him to come over so we can study for the Physics test."  
  
"And who's going to let me in?"  
  
"Brady will be there. He wants to be a part of it too, because Phillip is family and all. He'll let you and Mimi in."  
  
Chloe nodded uneasily. "Okay, I'll be there. But, are you sure I should? I mean, Phillip and I aren't exactly friends. I don't want him to explode when he sees me."  
  
Shawn placed a reassuring hand on her arm and smiled. "But, you obviously care enough about him to want to help. This was your idea, after all."  
  
Belle nodded in agreement. "Besides, part of us wanting to fix Phillip has to do with him needing to forgive you for the past and move on. You want to make peace with him, and he needs closure, so you can't ditch out on us now."  
  
Chloe nodded, she knew they were right, but she only wanted what was best for Phillip. If this didn't work because of her presence, she would have to kick herself. "Okay, okay... you're both right. I'll be there."  
  
Shawn smiled widely and checked his watch. "Good, it just wouldn't be an intervention without you. But, I gotta go talk to Mrs. Michaels before class, so I'll see you two later."  
  
"See ya, Shawn."  
  
Belle smiled as Shawn kissed her quickly on the cheek and walked in the other direction. The two girls walked down the hallway together, heading towards their next class.  
  
Belle hesitated before nervously asking, "So, are you avoiding my brother?"  
  
Chloe looked at her with wide eyes. "Did he say something?"  
  
"He said he tried to call you last night, and your butler said you weren't home and he didn't know when you were going to be home."  
  
Chloe cringed in embarrassment. "Well, I hate to say it. But, I guess I AM avoiding him. It's just awkward now... knowing what I know and all."  
  
"I can see where it would be awkward, but you can still be friends, right?"  
  
Chloe sighed and bit her lip nervously, the past 36 hours had driven her to a new realization, something she would have never noticed before, but now she couldn't get it out of her head. "I don't want to be friends with him anymore, Belle."  
  
Belle looked shocked and almost disgusted. "What?!?"  
  
"No, don't get the wrong idea from that. I just think I want MORE than friendship. I know he's not perfect, but he's an amazing person... I can't even believe I'm thinking this or saying it out loud, but it's true. I don't know if I can be around him without falling in love with him."  
  
Belle sighed and frowned as she spoke, "I'm so sorry, Jan. This is an awful situation. Like something out of a Shakespeare play."  
  
Chloe chuckled softly. "I just hope it doesn't end in suicide or disease or something. It's just the wrong place and time for us, that's all. It's not meant to be." Chloe sighed sadly and thought to herself that this was one of those great ironies of life. Brady had fallen in love with her a long time ago, and she didn't know it or even realize that she too could love him until it was too late. She knew she couldn't tell Brady who she really was because he'd never believe it, but a relationship between them wouldn't work as long as he was without closure on the Chloe chapter of his life.  
  
"You have to do something. You can't just ignore him for the rest of your life, and he needs you, no matter what. He needs your friendship, and I think you need his too."  
  
Chloe nodded in agreement. "You're right, I do. I just can't do this if he's still pining for Chloe. He needs to accept me for Jan, not as a replacement for Chloe."  
  
Belle groaned in frustration. "But, how do you get closure with somebody who's no longer living?"  
  
Chloe paused thoughtfully. Brady may not be able to see Chloe in the flesh anymore, but her soul was still there. "I think I have an idea actually..."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"I don't know exactly, but sometimes just saying things out loud helps you clear your head. Like, I really didn't need you to help me figure out that Brady loved Chloe, I just needed someone to say it out loud to."  
  
Belle looked unsure and raised one eyebrow. "So, you're going to have Brady say all those things to you just to get them off his chest?"  
  
Chloe shook her head, still halfway lost in her thoughts. "No, he's going to say them to Chloe... I'll make sure of that."  
  
"Well, I think we'd all like to believe that Chloe is watching us, keeping track of us... but can you have closure if she's not there to respond?"  
  
Chloe nodded. "Yeah, I think you can actually... I just need to get past this Phillip intervention tonight, and then I can work on the Brady problem. I think I know what to do, Belle."  
  
Belle looked at her in confusion. "Well, at least you do... That sure was a sudden surge of confidence you've just displayed."  
  
Chloe grinned happily. "I think it's safe to say that Chloe IS watching us, and I have her to thank for the sudden confidence. Wherever she is, she's going to make everything work out."  
  
Belle still looked unsure, but shrugged and gave in to Chloe's sudden attitude of hope. "Whatever you say then... I'll just have to trust you."  
  
Chloe shook her head. "No, trust Chloe... not me."  
  
The bell rang and Belle laughed at Chloe as they walked into class. "I think you're losing it, Jan... but if you've got a plan, go with it."  
  
Belle and Chloe took their seats next to each other and Chloe turned to her and beamed, "Don't worry... It WILL work."   
  
Chloe turned to the book on her desk and opened it to the latest chapter. She smiled on the outside, but a part of her was still unsure. At least I HOPE it will work, she thought to herself. She was fairly sure she could help Brady get closure, but if the plan failed, she just might screw things up forever.   
***  
(short chapter before the 'Intervention' and 'Brady's Chloe Closure', lots more coming soon.)  



	15. Intervention

(5:45 p.m. - Black penthouse)  
  
Chloe stood outside the door to the penthouse and rang the bell. The door opened and she was face to face with Brady.  
  
She nervously stammered, "Brady... hi..."  
  
"Come on in, Jan... Mimi's already here."  
  
Chloe smiled and stepped inside as Brady shut the door behind her. Mimi was on the couch absentmindedly examining her fingernails as she waited for things to begin. Brady smiled at her and spoke in a low tone, to keep Mimi from hearing their conversation.  
  
"So... I tried to call you last night, but you weren't home all night."  
  
Chloe nodded and stammered out the best excuse she could think of, "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I had physical therapy right after school, and then I had a study group for this government class project. I didn't get home until late or I would have called you."  
  
"Oh well, that's good... I was afraid you were avoiding me on purpose."  
  
Chloe shook her head and lied through her teeth, "No, not at all. I was just busy, that's all. As a matter of fact... are you busy on Friday?"  
  
Brady paused for a moment to think. "Uhmmm... no, I don't think so. What's up?"  
  
"I just wanted to do something for you. To thank you for being a good friend..." Chloe smiled at him widely.  
  
Brady looked confused. "You don't have to do anything to thank me, it's not a problem."  
  
"Well, I still want to, so just go with it. I think it'll be... therapeutic."  
  
Brady raised both eyebrows curiously. "Hmm, now I'm curious."  
  
Chloe clapped her hands together proudly. "Good. Just be at my house at 7:00 on Friday."  
  
"It's a date, then." Brady paused and shook his head, laughing as he did so. "No wait, it's not a date... I know how you are about that."  
  
Chloe laughed and started walking towards the couch. "Yeah, don't say that word around me."  
  
Chloe sat next to Mimi who looked up at her and smiled. "Hey Jan..."  
  
"Heya Meems..."  
  
"So, how does this work again?" Mimi inquired.  
  
"Well, we basically sit Phillip down and tell him he can't leave the room until we've all had our say. And, if he does, then we won't speak to him any longer. Then we each take a turn telling him exactly how we feel, and that if he doesn't start behaving better towards people he's going to end up alone. It's a tough ultimatum, but it may be the only thing that snaps him out of this funk. It's either act like a human being or lose all the people you care about."  
  
Mimi nodded, obviously impressed. "Wow, so that's how an intervention works?"  
  
Chloe shrugged, only half-sure. "Well, I guess so... I'm not an expert. I did see it on an episode of Party of Five once though."  
  
Brady laughed and rolled his eyes as he sat down on Chloe's other side. "I feel so much more reassured now that I know you've learned all your psychology from Jennifer Love Hewitt."  
  
Chloe grinned at Brady and shook her head. "No, more like Neve Campbell..."  
  
"Oh, well... excuse me... that's SO much better."  
  
Chloe waved her hand in a calming way. "Just have faith... it will work. Phillip needs some sense knocked in to him, and this is the only way to do it."  
  
Mimi sighed sadly, "I hope you're right. Phillip can be so sweet when he's not being a jerk. I miss the old Phillip."  
  
Chloe nodded in agreement as they all heard the knob on the door turn. Belle, Shawn and Phillip entered together and Phillip surveyed the room in confusion.  
  
"Ooookay... was somebody planning a party without my knowledge? What's going on here?"  
  
Belle turned to him and squeezed his hand for reassurance. "Just have a seat, please, Phillip. We need to talk to you."  
  
Phillip gave her a strange look. "Is everything okay?"  
  
"Just sit... please."  
  
Phillip still looked uneasy but took a seat in a chair by himself across from the three people on the couch. Shawn and Belle sat together on the smaller couch and there was an awkward moment of silence in the room.  
  
Phillip tried to break the silence with a chuckle. "Is this like one of those, 'Phillip Kiriakis, this is your life!' kind of things?"  
  
Shawn shook his head solemnly. "Not exactly. This is an intervention."  
  
"An intervention? Why? I'm not an alcoholic, or a drug addict and my gambling problem is so far in the past... well, it's almost like it happened to someone else. What the hell is going on?"  
  
Belle tried to calm him down. "Phillip, please just be calm. Everyone here cares about you and we're afraid that you've changed, and it hasn't been for the better. You're hurting a lot of people, and I don't think that you know that you're doing it. So, we want to help you... but you have to listen."  
  
"And if I don't? I could just get up from this chair, walk out and go home, right?"  
  
"You could... but then you're running the risk of losing everyone who loves you. IF you keep this up, you'll end up alone. I know it sounds harsh, but it's so important that you listen."  
  
Phillip sighed and sunk into his chair. "Why don't I just give you all a baseball bat so you can beat me with it?"  
  
Mimi interjected her own thoughts, "Because we're not here to beat you up for what you're going through, we're here to help you through it. You just have to listen, and not get angry for 30 minutes Phillip... maybe an hour at the most."  
  
Phillip noticed the pleading look in Mimi's eyes and gave in. "Fine, I'll listen. If it's important to all of you, then I'll do it."  
  
Belle sighed sadly and laid a comforting hand on Phillip's clasped hands. "I guess I get to go first... Let me preface this by saying, this is being done out of love and that's it. That's our motivation. Even Jan is here to help, although you've given her absolutely no reason to care about what happens to you, she still does. I love ya, Phillip... you're one of my best friends, and you have been since we were little kids. I hate seeing you like this. I know that it hurts to lose someone you love, but you can't dwell on that forever, you have to move on. You have to keep on living your life, because God gave you another chance. He could have taken you, just like he took Chloe and Jason, but He didn't. There's a reason why you're still here, Phillip, and you have to use your life and live it to the fullest or else you're wasting that second chance."  
  
Phillip just sat in silence, unable to look Belle in the eyes, letting the words sink in deeper. Shawn put his arm around Belle and kissed her on the top of her head.   
  
Shawn looked towards Phillip and spoke, "She's right, Phil. You are a good person, but you don't act like it anymore. I know that you care about your friends, but none of us are seeing that lately. You're not the same Phillip that we grew up with, and we miss that Phillip. Nobody expects everything to be perfect or for you to be jumping from cloud to cloud happily, we just want to see you return to something that resembles a human being. We're all tired of getting treated like we don't exist to you, and we're tired of seeing you so miserable. I haven't seen you smile in 2 weeks, Phillip... and you can't tell me that there's nothing left in this world to smile about, because there is."  
  
Brady nodded and jumped in, "Let me tell you from experience, living in the past is NEVER going to change things. The majority of my own problems, and my bad attitude, came from living for things that happened years ago. Once I learned to let them go, I can't even tell you how much better I felt about everything. I've learned to let the past go, all except for this one thing..."  
  
Chloe briefly made eye contact with him, knowing that Brady was having a hard time letting go of his love for her. Something she soon hoped to remedy. She saw a brief glimpse of pain flicker in his eyes before he shook it off and continued, "But, I'll work on that... I'll move on, because dwelling on it is never going to fix it. You need to do the same thing. Walking around in constant misery, treating your friends and family like dirt, getting angry with people for stupid selfish reasons... NONE of this is going to bring Chloe back. She's gone forever, and nothing that any of us can do will change that. We all miss her, Phillip... but she wouldn't want this from you. She'd want you to move on, she'd want you to be happy, she'd want the same thing from all of us."  
  
Brady's words had hit hard, Chloe could see it in Phillip's blue eyes which were now on the verge of tears. Phillip nodded, acknowledging that he understood what they were trying to get through to him.  
  
"How can I be happy when I don't have Chloe?"  
  
Brady groaned in frustration. "You have no choice. You were happy before you had her, you can be happy without her. I'm not saying that you have to forget she existed or anything, but geez, Phillip, you have to move on. I'm not saying you didn't love her, because I know you did and still do. But there are other loves to be had in the future, but you'll never know that if you go off the deep end. Don't turn this into a Shakespeare tragedy by impaling yourself on your sword or something. Be stronger than that, prove to Chloe and the rest of us that you're as strong as she always thought you were. Don't disappoint us. Use your grief as a catalyst to life your life as fully as possible."  
  
Phillip was soaking in Brady's words, definitely the most powerful words that any of them would have to say. Mimi was nodding in agreement as Brady spoke, and she piped up with her own thoughts, "Listen, I don't know what I'm going to say that will be more powerful or meaningful than that. But, he's totally right, Phillip. Life has so much to offer you, and you take it all for granted. You have so much going for you, and you don't even notice it. You WILL love again, and though it doesn't seem like it, maybe you will love her more than you loved Chloe. And someone will fall in love with you too, Phillip... I mean, when you're normal Phillip, and not bad-attitude Phillip, you're a pretty lovable person. There's so much out there waiting for you to take advantage of it, but you can't do it when you're walking around like the world is ending and judgment day is nigh."  
  
Chloe observed Mimi's passionate words towards Phillip and the look she had in her eyes as she gazed at him. She couldn't help but wonder if perhaps Mimi had developed a tiny crush on Phillip, especially with the way she was looking at him. In the old days, Chloe would have been jealous, but that feeling didn't hit her anymore. She wanted Phillip to move on, and if it meant being with Mimi, then she would be nothing but happy for them. When Chloe weighed the options in her head, she now knew that she belonged with Brady and not Phillip. She quietly prayed that Brady would be able to figure that out too. She would find out on Friday for sure.  
  
Chloe put those thoughts out of her mind for the time being and focused on the matter at hand. Phillip had taken a pause, and looked deep in thought. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and sighed loudly.  
  
"Okay... I get it. You're all right so far... I don't even know what to say, really. Part of me wants to argue about it, but I can't think of a way to disagree. I just want to know one thing." Phillip pursed his lips together and looked towards Chloe. "I want to know why YOU'RE here. Did you pay them so you could come be witness to my pain? Well, I hope you're enjoying it."  
  
Chloe furrowed her eyebrows together, her face filled with pain. "No, Phillip... Listen to what you just said, THAT is why I'm here. I want to be friends with you, but you have so much hatred in your heart for me. I know that I've done a lot of bad things, but it's different now. I'm not the same person that I used to be, and I've been trying to make things up to everyone. But, you won't even look me in the eye, so how I'm supposed to do that? You may not believe it, but this whole thing... it was MY idea. I care about you. Don't you remember when used to be friends? We all used to hang out together in junior high, and I screwed things up. I'm sorry for that and I want to fix things. Don't you remember the way things used to be? It CAN be like that again."  
  
Phillip shrugged, finally making eye contact with her. "I don't know... things can never be the same again."  
  
"I'm not saying they have to be exactly the same. Lord knows, that's not possible. We're all different people now. I just think that there has to be some part of you that is willing to forgive me. If all of them can be my friends, then I know that all hope is not lost with you. It goes with what Brady was saying about putting the past where it belongs and moving on. This is part of it. I'm also here to give you your reality check."  
  
Phillip raised both eyebrows curiously. "My reality check?"  
  
Chloe nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, I'm here to open your eyes. You've been acting like you're the only one who hurts. Look around, Phillip, everybody is hurting. Have you even bothered once to comfort one of your friends? They need you, just as much as you need them. And the fact that you have been too wrapped up in yourself to notice is really sad. Everyone in this room has lost someone, and in a time like this, we all need people to rely on. I find it really sad that your friends have always been there for you, through everything, and you haven't been there for them."  
  
Phillip cringed and sunk further into his seat in shame. "I never thought I'd hear myself say this... but, Jan, you're right. I'm so sorry all of you... And there's no excuse for the way I've acted. I promise that I will try to get better, that's all I can really do."  
  
Belle smiled happily. "That's all we want. We just want you to try, and we just want you to be okay. I'm so glad you said that."  
  
Chloe bit her lip nervously and looked at Phillip. "And what about me? Can you try not to avoid me like the plague?"  
  
Phillip nodded solemnly. "I will. I can't say that you and are I going to be the best of friends, because I don't know if we will... But, I will try. If all of them can be friends with you, than... you really must have changed."  
  
Chloe smiled and gazed around the room. "Well, they're all pretty amazing people. And, thank you, Phillip... Just stick to what you're saying and nobody will have to get that baseball bat that you mentioned."  
  
Phillip was silent, but the meaning on his face was clear. He really had heard what they said and was taking it seriously. The room was quiet, until Mimi piped up happily. "Hey... Do you know what we need now?"  
  
Everyone paused to think, and Chloe answered uneasily, "Uhm... aspirin?"  
  
Mimi shook her head and smiled widely. "Noooo, we need FUN. Everybody's been so down in the dumps lately, we need to do something fun. Take our minds off of everything for like 2 hours."  
  
Shawn leaned forward curiously. "Okay, I'll bite. Does anybody have any suggestions?"  
  
Brady stood from the couch and rubbed his hands together. "I say... Bowling."  
  
The three girls groaned in unison, but Brady quieted them all. "No, no, no... hear me out. It's fun, it's something we can do in the winter, and it's a really good bonding experience. Plus, ladies, you get to wear those cute shoes..."  
  
Belle cringed and shook her head. "Yeah, those cute shoes that five thousand other foot fungus people have worn before you."  
  
"Belle, they disinfect them."  
  
Belle stood and threw her hands up in mock excitement. "OH! Well, let's go then... that makes all the difference."  
  
The rest of the group laughed and stood from their seats. Chloe shrugged and nudged Brady with her elbow. "Eh, I'm up for it. Maybe he's got a good idea."  
  
Shawn nodded in agreement. "Yeah, at least it's something different from the same crap that we do all the time."  
  
Mimi nodded too, "Well, I really really SUCK at bowling, but it could be fun... let's do it."  
  
Phillip jumped in, "Good idea, Brady. I'm always up for a little friendly competition. Especially when I know I can take all of you down."  
  
Brady looked at his sister and mockingly pouted. "Beeeellllleee... whaddya say? Stop being such a girly girl."  
  
Belle sighed, defeated by a majority vote. "Okay, let's go."  
  
Everyone in the group smiled, happy to be doing something besides arguing, crying or moping. They gathered their things together and made their way downstairs.  
  
  



	16. Closure...?

Chapter Sixteen  
  
(Two days later... Friday)  
  
Chloe stood in front of the full-length mirror in her room, making some last minute touch ups to her appearance. She was smoothing the wrinkles out of her dress with her hands just as the phone on her table began to ring. She leaned over and grabbed it off the base, answering it quickly.  
  
"Hello..."  
  
Belle's excited voice came over the line, "Hey Jan... You getting ready for tonight? Brady just left, but he had to make a stop before he comes over... so you have like 30 minutes."  
  
"Cool... Everything's just about ready. I should have plenty of time. By the way, thanks for going shopping with me yesterday."  
  
"If there's one thing I'm always up for, it's shopping. So, what is this big secret plan you've got anyway? Can you tell me now?"  
  
Chloe sighed, knowing that it wouldn't make any sense to Belle, even if she tried to explain. "No, I can't. It's too complicated for me to get into, I just hope it works. Brady needs closure, and hopefully I can help."  
  
"Well, I don't know what you have up your sleeves, but if it makes my brother feel better, than I approve. Wait a second... you're not going to have a seance and try to conjure up the spirit of Chloe, are you?"  
  
Chloe laughed out loud. "Noooo, nothing like that. I don't believe in that crap anyway."  
  
"Neither did Chloe, so even if you tried to conjure her, she wouldn't show up just to prove you wrong."  
  
"That is so true."  
  
"Hey... I've been meaning to ask you all week. Are you planning to go to the Valentine's Day dance? It's only three weeks away..."  
  
Chloe paused, the thought had not crossed her mind, even though the signs had been up at school all week. "To tell you the truth, I haven't even thought about it. Why?"  
  
"Welllll, Shawn and I want to go out to dinner before, and take a limo and all that. But, we want to share it with SOMEBODY else... so, if your super secret plan works, maybe you can take Brady and we can all go together."  
  
"What about Mimi? I don't want to leave her out."  
  
Belle paused on the other end of the phone. "Mmmm, well if you go with Brady, then Mimi can go... with Phillip. Yeah, that'll work. If Phillip feels like going, that is. And if he doesn't feel like it, we'll just force him to go and pretend to be cheerful."  
  
Chloe chuckled softly. "It's not a bad idea, actually. Of course, that's only IF I can get Brady to go with me. My super secret plan might fail miserably, and he'll never want to speak to me again. That's my worst case scenario."  
  
"Just have faith for one second, please. It will work... whatever it is. And if not, then you still have to go to the dance with us. And, I won't accept no for an answer."  
  
"Okay, okay... I'll go. Even if you have to drag me kicking, and screaming... which you probably will."  
  
Belle laughed. "Don't worry, we're used to it. We used to have drag Chloe to all kinds of things that she wasn't in to. Anyway, I'll let you finish getting ready. Good luck tonight, Jan."  
  
Chloe smiled weakly. "Thanks, Belle... God knows I'm going to need it. Bye."  
  
"Bye..."  
  
Chloe hung the phone up and took one last check in the mirror before walking downstairs to wait for Brady's arrival.  
***  
  
(Living Room... downstairs.)  
  
Chloe sat on the couch, feeling more nervous than she had originally thought possible. She tried to avoid biting her freshly painted nails. They were a light shade of sparkly blue to match the dress that Belle had helped her pick out, and it would have been a shame to turn them into a nervous chew toy. Time seemed to pass slowly as Chloe stared at the large grandfather clock in the living room. Every now and then she would turn her head away, knowing that watching the clock only made time pass slower.  
  
Chloe looked back at the clock as the hands went to 7:05. She was just starting to worry about his tardiness when the doorbell rang loudly. Chloe jumped to her feet and ran after it, yelling loudly as she bounded into the entryway. "I GOT IT, BENJAMIN!"  
  
She stood in front of the door and took a deep breath before opening it. "Hi Brady... come on in."  
  
Brady smiled and walked inside as Chloe shut the door behind him. "I'm sorry I was late... I had to stop and put gas in my Jeep."  
  
Chloe brushed it off as if it meant nothing to her. "Late? I didn't even notice."  
  
Brady mocked as if he was wiping sweat off his brow. "Whew... I'm safe then. So, what's the plan? Is there a plan?"  
  
"Yeah, sort of. I want to show you something. Just follow me." Chloe smiled and grabbed his hand. He followed her up the stairs and into the hallway.  
  
"I've seen your bedroom, Jan..."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes and continued pulling him along. "That's not where we're going. Come on."  
  
She led him to a door at the end of the hallway and opened it to another set of stairs. She stood on the first step and faced him. "Do you trust me?"  
  
Brady raised one eyebrow curiously. "Can I answer that after you take me up these stairs and I can see that there isn't some sort of medieval torture apparatus up in your attic?  
  
Chloe shook her head. "Nope, answer it now."  
  
Brady's smirked faded into a more solemn look. "Of course, yes. I trust you."  
  
Chloe smiled proudly. "Okay... now close your eyes, and be careful coming up the stairs. I don't want you to trip."  
  
Brady did as instructed and allowed Chloe to lead him to the top of the stairs. She guided him up from the last step and brought him to the middle of the room, his eyes still closed tightly. Chloe positioned him in the perfect spot and backed away from him.  
  
"Okay, you can open your eyes now."  
  
Brady opened his eyes and gazed around the room in amazement. Years ago, Jan's parents had turned their attic space into an observatory. The ceiling was almost completely made of glass and boasted an amazing view of the clear night sky. The room itself had been mostly ignored for the past few years, but Chloe had cleaned the floors and the furniture up, decorating it with small twinkling Christmas lights around the walls to continue the theme of the stars in the sky. The furnishings were sparse, but there was a large, expensive telescope in one corner and a couple of fluffy couches to lie on while you looked at the sky above you.  
  
"Wow... Jan... This is amazing."  
  
Chloe nodded proudly. "Yeah, they added it a long time ago. I guess they thought it would be a nice place to have cocktails when guests came over. But, it's pretty much been ignored for the past few years. But, it's a good place to go when you want to be alone to think or whatever."  
  
Brady nodded in appreciation. "Well, it's beautiful up here... So, this is my thank you?"  
  
Chloe shook her head. "No, this is just the perfect place to do what I had in mind. Remember when I told you to trust me?"  
  
Brady nodded somewhat uneasily. "Uhhhhh... yes."  
  
"Okay, then just go along with me... do what I tell you to do... and hopefully, it will work."  
  
"You're scaring me, Jan... But, I do trust you."  
  
Chloe smiled and took a deep breath. "Good. Now let me tell you why you're here. When you were telling Phillip how you've let go of everything from your past, except one thing, I think I know what that one thing is. And... I want to help you let go."  
  
"I don't think you can..."  
  
"No, no, no. I think I can. At least, I hope so. You just have to trust me on this. I know that there were things left unsaid between you and your mystery girl. And, I also know that you've said that there is absolutely no chance of you ever being able to tell her how you felt. But, there is a chance."  
  
Brady looked at her in confusion. "And how's that?"  
  
Chloe sighed softly. "I'm a firm believer that just because someone isn't here with you, doesn't mean they can't hear you. I used to come up here and talk to my grandmother all the time. And, I know she heard me, even up in heaven and even when she was alive and three thousand miles away."   
  
At least that's what Chloe had read in Jan's diary, anyway. Brady still looked unsure, but Chloe continued. "You said you would trust me, so listen to me. Imagine that she's here in the flesh, and say whatever's on your mind like she was right in front of you. I'll even stand in the stairway so you can do it alone."  
  
"Jan... I don't know about this."  
  
"But, I do. Just close your eyes until you can picture her, and it will come out before you can stop it. It will make you feel better, I promise." Chloe gazed at him pleadingly and clasped his hands in her own.  
  
Brady sighed and gave in. "Okay, I'll do it... now go away."  
  
Chloe chuckled and nodded. She put one hand over his eyes and whispered softly, "Now close them... and I'll go."  
  
Brady closed his eyes tightly and she quietly moved away. She walked towards the door and clicked it shut, but stayed in the corner not wanting to miss a word of this. He stood there in the same spot for a long time, perhaps taking the time to conjure up the image of Chloe in his mind. He finally sighed and cleared his throat.  
  
"Okay, I feel kind of silly doing this. You know, standing in the middle of a room by myself and talking to someone who isn't here. But, I think you can hear me, and maybe there are a few things I need to get off my chest. I've never said any of this out loud... not even when I was alone, so please bear with me. I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. I really screwed up and now I've learned my lesson. I should have never let you go. I held on to what was inside my heart, and I never told you. I didn't know that it would end like this, and if I had, I would have told you a long time ago. But, I didn't know that you would die before I could tell you. I never imagined that God would take away a life that was so wonderful and amazing. The only thing that makes sense is that the folks in heaven wanted another angel, and I can't think of a better person to fill that position than you."  
  
Chloe silently crept towards him, making sure that his eyes were still closed. Luckily, her shoes were quiet and the floor was soft so she made no noise as she inched closer to him. Brady's eyes were still shut tight, but a few tears had begun creeping down his cheeks.  
  
"I thought that it wouldn't be fair to you, because of... him. I thought that it would cause you too much confusion and pain if you knew how I felt for you. I should have told you anyway. And, I'll never forgive myself for not telling you. Everybody wants me to move on, but I don't know how I can. I know deep down in my heart that you were my soulmate, my true love, and nobody will ever take your place. I have felt connected to you in a way that I could never explain since the day we met, and somehow I still feel that connection even though you are gone. So, now I'm going to say it, and I hope you're listening wherever you are. I love you. I have loved you for a million years, probably before I even realized it myself... and I will always love you. No matter where I go, or what I do, I will never love anyone the way that I love you. I've been praying since you left that you would come back, and even though I feel your presence all the time, my prayers haven't been answered yet."  
  
Chloe was now standing as near to him as possible without touching him. Tears were now streaming down his face, and he moved his hands up to wipe the tears away. Brady shook his head in despair and muttered quietly, "I love you... please come back."   
  
His grief and pain was obvious, and Chloe knew that this was the first time he had been so open about what was in his heart. Chloe's own heart began to ache, and she was now sure that he was talking to her. Without thinking, she instinctively reached a hand up towards his face and brushed his hand, helping him wipe the tears away. She froze, thinking that he might open his eyes before she was ready for him to see her, but he didn't. He let her wipe the tears away gently with her fingers as his hands caressed the tops of hers and moved down her arms slowly.  
  
Chloe sighed deeply, still afraid of the consequences of what she was about to do. She took a quick moment to gather her courage before pushing herself up on her tiptoes and moving her face towards Brady's. She gently put his lips on hers, figuring he would freak out and push her away, but he didn't, he responded warmly to her touch and wrapped his strong arms around her back. She moved in closer and kissed him passionately, and held on for dear life. Brady responded and increased the passion between them, sliding his arms to rest around her waist, pulling her even closer in his strong embrace. The kiss seemed to go on forever. It made every ounce of Chloe's body feel alive, and she could feel Brady's heart racing faster against her chest. She had never experienced a kiss like this before. Phillip's kisses had made her tingle, but Brady made her feel like she was floating above the earth, and the only thing that existed was the two of them in this moment.  
  
The kiss finally broke off and Chloe softly whispered, "I love you too..."  
  
Brady's eyes were still closed and he spoke so softly, that she could barely hear him. "Chloe...?"  
  
"Brady... I love you too."  
  
Brady's blue eyes fluttered open and he saw who he was holding in his arms. To Chloe's surprise, his expression wasn't one of confusion or anger. It was more like a look of acceptance. He removed one arm from her waist to gently stroke her cheek. "It is you, isn't it?"  
  
"You tell me. Look in my eyes, Brady. What do you see?"  
  
Brady stared deep into her hazel eyes. "I see Chloe... just Chloe. It's not possible, is it?"  
  
"It is. It's me, Brady... Do you really believe it?"  
  
Brady kept staring, and Chloe felt like he was staring through her eyes and into her soul. "I do believe it. It's been you all the time, hasn't it? Since the day on the pier, I've noticed something behind your eyes but I thought it was too ridiculous to even think about it."  
  
Chloe smiled weakly. "I know, it sounds impossible. But, it's me... It's been me the whole time. I came back..."  
  
Brady looked at her in shock. He didn't want to blink, afraid that this would all disappear if he closed his eyes again. "Chloe... How? Why? Is it a miracle? Am I dreaming?"  
  
"Don't worry, I can explain it all. It sounds like something out a movie, but it's all true. And, no, you aren't dreaming. This is as real as it gets."  
  
Brady was still in awe. He gently caressed her arms from wrist to shoulder, moving his hands through her hair softly. He moved one index finger to her cheek, caressing each eyelid, moving down her nose and gently tracing her lips. It was as if he was making sure that this wasn't a dream by caressing the curves of her face.   
  
He softly whispered, "How?"  
  
Chloe grinned widely. "You may want to sit down for this..."  
  
Brady nodded and let go of her enough to walk towards the couch and sit down with her. He still kept one arm around her, as if he was afraid she would fly away if he let go.  
  
"Okay, Brady... this is going to sound like the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard, but it's all true. If you start to not believe me, then I can prove it to you. I mean, I know intimate things about everyone that ONLY Chloe could know."  
  
Brady shook his head and smiled. "No, I believe you. I can see it in your eyes... Besides, I have a feeling this is going to be crazier than anything that Jan could make up."  
  
Chloe nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely crazy. So, here's the deal... There was a mix-up in the car accident. The 'powers that be' were supposed to take Jan, but they took me instead. And, the only way that could fix things was to put me in Jan's body and take her soul out."  
  
"They couldn't put you back in your own body?"  
  
"No, it's this whole soul loophole or something. Once the soul is gone, the body is dead. This body is the best they could do for me. I could have stayed up there if I had really wanted, but it wasn't my time, so I came back."  
  
"You could have stayed in Heaven, but you came back?"  
  
Chloe nodded and smiled. "I came back for you. At the time, I thought I was coming back for Phillip, but I figured out that I came back for you."  
  
Brady smiled almost shyly. "For me? Why not Phillip? I thought you two were in love."  
  
Chloe shook her head. "I loved Phillip, and he loved me... but not in the way that you love me. When I came back, Phillip only saw what was on the exterior, which was JAN. You, Shawn, Belle... you all somehow saw the person inside, and that's me, Chloe. Phillip never really knew me when I was alive, not the REAL me. And, I was too blind to see the truth... to see that there was somebody who loved me in the way that I really wanted. I'm sorry for not noticing before all of this, I didn't know that there was more for me outside of Phillip."  
  
"Don't be sorry... I guess I should have told you, I just would have never expected it to turn out this well."  
  
Chloe grinned and kissed him gently. "Well, you've got me now."  
  
Brady held her tightly to him. "And, I'll never let you go now. You know, I always used to think you were an angel, and now I KNOW you are."  
  
Chloe rested her head against his shoulder and smiled contentedly. "So, does my adventure in the afterlife sound insane?"  
  
"Yes, absolutely. Can you tell other people now?"  
  
Chloe shook her head vehemently. "No, absolutely not. I wasn't even supposed to tell you, but you obviously figured it out already. Nobody else can know. Nobody else would believe it."  
  
"So, I have to call you Jan all the time?"  
  
"In front of other people especially... don't slip up or anything. People will think I'm your Chloe replacement if you accidentally call me Chloe."  
  
Brady pulled her closer and sighed. "But, you're a 100 percent the real thing."  
  
"You got it. I may look like Jan, but I'm all Chloe, all the time."  
  
"Perfect. So, what next? Jerry Springer show? National Enquirer? Dateline NBC?"  
  
Chloe laughed softly. "No, I was thinking more like Salem High School Valentine's Dance."  
  
Brady cringed and shrank back. "A high school dance? Are you kidding?"  
  
Chloe pouted and stuck out her lower lip. "Awww, it'll be fun. It is the social event of the season, aside from the Last Blast, of course. I promise we'll try to make it as un-geeky as humanly possible."  
  
"Don't pout, it won't help. I've lived with Belle for 17 years, I'm immune to pouting."  
  
Chloe straightened her lip up and grinned at him. "Fine, fine... no pouting. Just do it for ME, PLEASE?"  
  
Brady nodded and kissed her passionately. He grinned slyly at her as he broke off the kiss and laid down on the couch. "You got it, anything for you."  
  
Chloe laughed and laid her head on his chest, his arms wrapped around her tightly. "Damn, that was easier than I thought. You're such a sucker."  
  
Brady laughed and nodded. "Only for you, just make sure you keep your promise about keeping things un-geeky. By the way, how did you know this would work? How did you know it was you that I was talking about all those times?"  
  
Chloe shrugged slightly. "I didn't. I had no idea it would work. The part about you loving me, I just guessed it. I saw it in your eyes when you looked at me, and the more you talked about the girl you were in love with, the more it began to seep into my brain. I'm glad I was right about it, otherwise this whole thing would have been extremely embarrassing."  
  
Brady nodded in agreement and gently stroked her hair. The two of them laid there late into the night, talking and holding each other tightly. Both of them afraid that if they let go, then all of this would end. They laid like that until they fell asleep in each other's arms, both praying that they would still be there in the morning, that this wasn't a dream after all.  
***  
(You may think it's over... but it's not.)  



	17. A Warning

Chloe had begun to feel uncomfortable. She was half awake and the morning sun was blaring through the skylight above them, and even though it was winter, it was still hot. One of her arms was squeezed between Brady and the back of the couch, and was beginning to fall asleep. Her eyes fluttered opened sleepily and she used her other hand to wipe the crud out of her eyes. She lifted her head up just enough to look at a peaceful, sleeping Brady. She ignored the sun, and the pain in her arm long enough to take in how peaceful and content he looked at that moment. She slid up slowly and gave him a quick, gentle peck on his lips.  
  
She smiled sleepily and whispered, "It's not a dream after all."  
  
Brady's blue eyes opened halfway and he moaned sleepily, "I was just about to say that."  
  
"Good morning, I thought you were still asleep."  
  
Brady rubbed his eyes and yawned slightly. "I think I am... What time is it anyway?"  
  
"I don't know, you're laying on my watch."  
  
Brady chuckled and sat up far enough to let Chloe's arm go free. She lifted her wrist to her face and checked the dial. "It's 7:30."  
  
"Wow, still early."  
  
Chloe nodded but pointed at the skylight. "Yes, but the sun is very bright in the big glass room."  
  
"Yeah, next time we do this... bring curtains."  
  
Chloe sat up and stretched a little. "Next time? One time was enough to ruin my reputation for good. You know what everybody will think if they hear that you 'spent the night'."  
  
Brady raised both eyebrows sarcastically. "Your reputation? You're JAN, remember? I think your reputation is long gone..."  
  
Chloe cringed in embarrassment. "You make a good point there, but still... I'm trying to IMPROVE Jan's reputation, not give credibility to it."  
  
"Well, my sister will know that I was gone all night... but she'll believe me when I tell her that 'nothing' happened."  
  
"Good, cause I'm not that kinda girl."  
  
Brady grinned wickedly. "You aren't? Damnit..."  
  
"Brady... behave."  
  
Brady threw his hands up in surrender. "I have no other choice, do I?"  
  
Chloe stood and nodded in agreement. She took a look at her dress, which was wrinkled all over from sleeping in it, and ran a hand through her tangled hair.   
  
"Ugh... I must look awful..." Chloe pointed a scolding finger at Brady, "Don't say a word, Brady."  
  
"Nah, you look perfect to me." Brady stood and smoothed his own disheveled clothing. "I just can't believe we stayed up her all night."  
  
Chloe nodded and winced slightly. "Well, my bladder can believe it. I hate to be graphic, but I gotta go."  
  
"No problem, I'm gonna go home anyway, take a shower and all that."  
  
"Yeah, a shower sounds like a great idea. Call me later, okay?"  
  
Brady grinned and pulled her into his arms. "I love you, Chloe... I just wanted to say it again to make sure."  
  
"Say it as much as you want, I'll never get tired of hearing it." Chloe smiled slightly and leaned into his embrace.  
  
Brady winked at her and muttered, "Ohhh, morning breath be damned... I just can't help it."   
  
He leaned in further and placed his lips on hers, giving her a deep passionate kiss. The kiss, even more loving and wonderful than the ones they had shared the night before, lasted until Chloe was reminded of her impending emergency.  
  
She broke away from him gently and stammered, "I love you too, Brady... but, uhm, well, I..."  
  
Brady laughed at her subtle, but effective, version of the bathroom dance. He let go of her and pointd towards the stairs.   
  
"Don't worry, go ahead... I'll show myself out."  
  
Chloe smiled widely and ran towards the door. As she was running downstairs, she yelled up "I LOVE YOU!", and heard Brady call back, "LOVE YOU TOO! CALL YOU LATER!"  
***  
  
Chloe stepped out of the shower and directly into her the warm pink bathrobe that used to belong to Jan. She dried her hair with a towel and quickly ran a comb through the curly tangles that surrounded her head. After quickly brushing her teeth, she exited the bathroom through the door that led into her empty bedroom. At least she thought it was empty.  
  
"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Chloe screamed and jumped back in fear. "KEYES!?! You scared the hell out of me. Why do you always do that? Can't you knock on the front door like a normal person?"  
  
Keyes sat in the chair in the corner and shrugged innocently. "Hey, if you had this kinda power, you'd use it whenever you could."  
  
Chloe sighed and sat down on the bed. "Whatever... So, why are you here? Am I in trouble?"  
  
"Trouble is not the word I would use for it. I was going to stop by last night, and tell you how well we all think things are going down here. Then, you had go and do what you did to screw it all up."  
  
Chloe's face dropped and she cringed slightly. "I'm sorry, Keyes. I know it was part of the deal that I couldn't tell anyone, but... I love him, and he mostly figured out it himself anyway, I just helped it along."  
  
Keyes shook his head in disappointment. "Mostly figured it out himself? Sure, he saw something Chloe-like in you, and he liked you for it... and it should have STAYED that way. You shouldn't have helped him along like that. You broke the rules, kiddo."  
  
"Why didn't you try to stop me? You seem to be all-powerful and all-knowing... You probably saw it coming, didn't you?"  
  
"There's only one person up there who is all-knowing, and he doesn't interfere. That's not how it works, we're not allowed to interfere no matter what."  
  
Chloe looked at him in shock and rolled her eyes. "You're not allowed to interfere? What is all this? Do you kill the wrong person and then send them back as someone else on a weekly basis? Do you visit ALL of your mistakes in their homes? Isn't this interfering?"  
  
Keyes shook his head and sighed. "No, this isn't considered interfering, it's my job. You're a special case, Chloe. The paperwork got screwed up and we did our best to fix it... we just didn't count on having any more special circumstances."  
  
Chloe gave him a confused glance. "Special circumstances? Like what?"  
  
"Like you... and your new boyfriend. I said before that it was rare enough for someone to see past your exterior and find the true you inside. But, it's damn near impossible for someone to KNOW that it's you, even with a little help. Heck, most people wouldn't believe it if you tried to tell them. We didn't expect that you'd fall in love, have a soulmate, and that he would 'discover' your secret. Needless to say, all of us at the office are a bit surprised."  
  
Chloe groaned in frustration. "I'm sorry. What was I supposed to do? I love him, and I thought that this was the only way. It's not fair that you kill me, send me back and now I'm not even allowed to have love..."  
  
Keyes looked down regretfully. "Chloe... I know that it's unfair, but you broke the one rule that we gave you... I can't do anything about that."  
  
"So, what does it mean? Do I have to spend eternity in purgatory? Am I getting punished for this? I don't know how all this works, because I didn't get the rulebook."  
  
Keyes expression changed from regretful to deeply sad. "It's not punishment... It's just that, things have changed. Circumstances have changed, and whatever the consequences are of these changes, you'll have to deal with."  
  
Chloe furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Changes? Consequences? What are you talking about?"  
  
"It's hard to explain. I mean, I've been studying the fabric of life for thousands of years but I still don't completely get it. But, as simple as I can explain it? Your life was on one path in the fabric before the accident, but we screwed that path up. When one of those 'special circumstances' pops up, there are ripples in the fabric and things can change all the way down the line, touching every person you know. It can even affect people you've never met. So, we kinda tore the fabric with you, and then we sewed it back together by putting you back on Earth in Jan's body. Sure, there were still changes from the original path, but we put you on another modified path that we didn't expect to change. Something happened... your will was too strong, your love with what's-his-name was stronger than we expected... And now the path has changed again, there's a minor tear in the fabric."  
  
Chloe felt her stomach drop and her heart filled with fear. "What is it? What's going to happen? I mean, I'm supposed to live at least another 60 years, right? I'm not going to die, am I?"  
  
Keyes shook his head and sighed. "Calm down, Chloe. Unless something else makes the fabric rip again, you're safe. But, there is something coming... something that you won't expect."  
  
"Then tell me what it is, I'll stop it. I'll fix it."  
  
"I can't. I shouldn't even be telling you this. I'm already in trouble enough for what I did to you, I can't take any more risks. I want to help, but this is all I can do."  
  
Chloe sighed and looked at him with despair. "Then why even warn me? Why not leave me blissfully unaware?"  
  
Keyes gazed at her pleadingly, hoping for her understanding. "I'm just trying to soften the blow. I can't tell you what to expect, but at least when it happens, you'll be a tiny bit prepared for it."  
  
Chloe nodded with almost an air of acceptance to it. "Okay, fine... I'll deal with it, whatever it is... I always deal. The only thing I don't understand is why. Why is this all happening to me?"  
  
Keyes stood and sat on the bed next to her. "I don't know... I don't have all the answers, kiddo. I'm sorry this had to happen to you."  
  
Chloe sighed deeply and wiped a few stray tears from her eyes. Keyes wrapped his arm around her shoulder and tried to comfort her. She took a deep breath in, ready to accept whatever was in store for her. She looked up at Keyes and smiled weakly. "Well, that's it, I guess. Nothing I can do about it, just have to accept it."  
  
Keyes nodded and stood from the bed. "Unfortunately, yes. And, uhm... this is it for me. I can't make any more of these visits, it wouldn't be right... I've already done enough damage."  
  
"So, I'll never you again?"  
  
Keyes grinned at her. "Never say never, I'll see you in about 60 years or maybe more. Just promise me one thing, please..."  
  
"Anything... what is it?"  
  
"Enjoy every minute of it. We gave you your life back for a reason, so enjoy it. Don't take anything for granted, not your life or the lives of the people you love."  
  
Chloe stood and hugged him tightly. "I won't... I promise."  
  
Keyes stood back and winked at her. "Good. And don't break that promise, because I'll know it if you do."  
  
Chloe chuckled softly. "I know... See ya, Keyes."  
  
Keyes waved at her and smiled as he began to vanish before her eyes. "Take care, Chloe."  
  
Chloe sighed as he disappeared completely. The idea that something bad could be in her future shook Chloe to the core. But, she had made a promise to Keyes. She would not take anything for granted, and she promised to enjoy every minute of her life and the people in it. Chloe silently promised herself that she would not let thoughts of her future cloud her brain every second of the day. Instead, she would put it out of her mind and let fate take over, using her time to enjoy every second she had with Brady and the rest of her friends.  
***  



	18. Oh Happy Day...

(Early June... about 4 months later. All has been blissful, and it's graduation day!)  
  
Chloe and Brady walked into the Brady Pub to join a party that was already in full swing. Most of Salem had turned out to offer their congratulations to some of the class of 2002. Shawn's parents had the idea to turn the pub into graduation central to honor Shawn, Belle, Chloe, Mimi and Phillip. The pub, now decorated with balloons, banners and the Salem High colors, was packed with family, friends and other classmates.  
  
"Wow... The Bradys really went all out."  
  
Brady nodded, impressed with the layout. "Well, it's not every day that one of them graduates from high school. Plus, Belle, Mimi and Phillip... and now you too... you're all like family around here."  
  
Chloe smiled happily. "That's so cool... You know, aside from one thing, this has been the greatest four months of my life."  
  
Brady frowned. "Aside from one thing? What would that be?"  
  
"I never thought I'd say it... but, I miss Nancy and Craig. It's not like I have many opportunities to see them, and I'm sure they see no reason to even talk to a kid that they didn't really know. It was weird seeing them at the ceremony tonight. I just wanted to go up and say something, but I couldn't."  
  
Brady wrapped his arm around her and kissed her on the forehead. "Well, never say never... The Lord works in mysterious ways."  
  
Chloe chuckled and nodded. "Ain't that the truth?"  
  
Shawn and Belle came walking towards them hand in hand. Belle was smiling widely and grinned at them. "Hey guys... could that graduation ceremony have been any longer? Or more boring?  
  
Chloe shook her head and laughed. "Probably not. But, I did like Kevin's valedictorian speech. I was really impressed."  
  
Shawn nodded in agreement. "Plus, it was nice that they included Chloe and Jason. Giving honorary diplomas to their parents was really cool."  
  
Chloe smiled sweetly, her heart warmed by the small tribute paid to her at graduation. "Yeah, I thought that was cool too..."  
  
Brady grinned and pointed towards his sister. "But other than that, Belle's right. It was completely boring."  
  
Belle grinned and winked slyly. "And that's what we have graduation parties for... to rid us of our boredom."  
  
Chloe nodded firmly. "Right, so let's get to it... It's time to mingle."  
  
The group turned together and made their way into the crowd. Chloe spotted Phillip sitting in a booth next to Mimi. Mimi stood up to walk away and Chloe turned towards Brady and motioned towards Phillip.   
  
"I'm gonna go talk to Phillip... I'll be right back."  
  
Brady nodded and let go of her hand. "I'll be right here... mingling and such."  
  
Chloe walked through the group and sat across from Phillip. He looked up at her and smiled. "Hey Jan... Happy graduation... I guess... Is that even the right greeting?"  
  
Chloe laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure... maybe we're supposed to just say 'congratulations'. Either way, happy graduation to you too."  
  
"Thanks... I can't believe we made it, right?"  
  
Chloe nodded and looked at him with seriousness. "Phillip... I wanted to thank you..."  
  
Phillip tried to interrupt, "Jan... don't..."  
  
"No, no, no. Let me finish. I know that I was a pretty detestable person before, and I know that all the stuff with Chloe was really hard on you. So, I wanted to thank you for giving me another chance. Some people wouldn't have, and I'm glad you did. You're a good... no, you're a great person, and I'm really glad that we're friends now."   
  
Phillip looked down shyly and smiled. "You're welcome, but... You don't need to thank me, I need to thank you."  
  
Chloe sat back and looked at him in surprise. "You do? For what?"  
  
"Well, I know that you're the one who organized that intervention. And, that's what made me start to fix things in my life. You've really helped me through a lot of things over the past few months, and I appreciate that. If it wasn't for you... and Mimi... I'd still be a wreck."  
  
"And Mimi?" Chloe raised her eyebrows curiously.  
  
Phillip wavered, almost nervously. "Yeah, and Mimi too. You know, everybody thinks she's just annoying little Mimi who's always bugging everybody... but there's a lot more to her than you'd believe. Sometimes you gotta look past the image to see how smart and caring she is. With Belle, it's like what you see is what you get... everybody knows what a good person she is because she's always like that. But Mimi is... surprising."  
  
Chloe grinned proudly. She had witnessed both Mimi and Phillip progress and mature over the past 4 months, and was amazed. If you had asked her a year, even six months ago, she would have thought the idea of Mimi and Phillip as a couple was absolutely ridiculous and totally unlikely. At this point, she figured that it would be any day now when one of them would admit their feelings for each other. They had spent a lot of time together over the past few months, with Shawn, Belle, Brady and Chloe already paired off, they had found friendship in each other so they didn't have to feel like the tagalongs with the already established couples.  
  
"Yeah, Mimi is pretty great... I'm glad somebody is starting to notice that."  
  
Mimi walked up to the table with two glasses of punch in her hand. "Starting to notice what?"  
  
Chloe smiled at her as she laid the glasses on the table. "Ohhhh nothing... Phillip and I were just talking about how wonderful you are."  
  
Mimi's face flushed red and she took a step back in surprise. "Huh? Have you guys been hitting the liquor cabinet or something?  
  
Phillip laughed and shook his head. "Noooo... At least I haven't, I can't speak for Jan."  
  
Chloe shrugged innocently. "I'm completely sober."  
  
Mimi nudged Phillip over and sat beside him. "Well, now I'm completely embarrassed. But, thank you. I didn't know you were over here Jan, or I would have grabbed you a drink too."  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine."  
  
Phillip looked around the room for a moment and then back to Chloe. "Jan, I don't think I've met your parents tonight… or EVER..."  
  
Chloe shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't think anybody has, actually. They couldn't make it."  
  
Mimi looked disgusted. "They couldn't even make it to your graduation?"  
  
"Nope. They were home about two weeks ago, and gave me some lovely parting gifts. You know, buy me off so I won't be so upset about them not coming to my graduation. No big deal."  
  
Mimi sighed softly. "That's really really... pathetic. I don't mean, you're pathetic... I just can't believe your parents would do that."  
  
"I'm used to it, really. I think I've seen them like three times in the past 4 months... I know that I can't rely on them, so I just rely on myself."  
  
Phillip pointed at her and interjected, "And, your friends."  
  
Chloe nodded and smiled at him. "Yes, my friends."  
  
Chloe heard some noise at the back of the pub and they all turned their attention towards the back bar. Bo and Hope were standing together and Hope was tapping her champagne glass as loudly as possible. The trio in the booth looked at each other curiously and slid out to join the rest of the party. Chloe found her way to Brady and stood next to him as he wrapped an arm around her waist.  
  
Hope cleared her throat loudly and tried to direct everyone's attention towards her. "Can I have everyone's attention please?"  
  
The room quieted down and all eyes were on Shawn's parents. Hope smiled and spoke first, "Hello everybody. Thanks to all of you for coming out tonight. We just wanted to have a little party to congratulate our son, Shawn Douglas..."  
  
The voices of Mimi, Phillip, Chloe, Brady and Belle yelled out in unison, "IT'S JUST SHAWN!"  
  
A wave of laughter spread over the room as Shawn smiled in embarrassment. Hope laughed and continued, "Right, I'm sorry. Sometimes a mother forgets. Anyway, we wanted to congratulate Shawn, his friends and the rest of the Class of 2002 on their amazing achievements. You have all come so far and done so well. You should be proud of yourselves, as we are all proud of you. Bo and I want to wish everyone here the best of luck, and a bright, healthy, happy future."  
  
Bo nodded and interjected his own thoughts, "I think my lovely wife said it better than I could. But, I just wanted to tell all of you how proud you make us, and your own families too... and I would tell you to continue to make us proud in the future, but I don't think I need to. You already know all that."  
  
Bo raised his glass in a toast and the rest of the room followed, "Congratulations Salem High!"  
  
Chloe smiled and Brady held her tightly, giving her a small kiss on the forehead. He whispered softly, making sure that only she could hear him, "Congratulations, Chloe..."  
  
Chloe grinned and leaned back. "Aww, it was easy."  
  
Brady kissed her on the lips this time, but broke off quickly to avoid an overly public display of affection.  
  
They spent the next hour chatting with friends and family. The guests seemed to enjoy to the spread of food set up by Shawn's grandparents, and everyone was having a great time. Chloe and Brady made sure to take the time to thank Bo and Hope for having the party before quietly sneaking out to enjoy some time alone together.  
***  
  
(In Brady's Jeep...)  
  
Chloe sighed softly and fastened her seatbelt. "That was fun..."  
  
Brady nodded and pulled the jeep out of it's parking space. "Sure was... Those Bradys really know how to have a party."  
  
"So, what next? I'm a high school graduate now, nothing's holding me back, you know... Of course, nothing was holding me back before, seeing as how my parents are never home, therefore I have no curfew or rules or restrictions or... well, you see my point."  
  
Brady chuckled and drove towards the highway. "You mean, I didn't tell you I have a plan?"  
  
"A plan for what?"  
  
"A plan for us. And, it has to do with that big mountain over there."  
  
Chloe looked at him curiously. "Really? Now you've peaked my curiosity... Of course, you know that's not really a BIG mountain. It's barely a mountain, technically speaking."  
  
Brady looked at her briefly and rolled his eyes. "Don't get all scientific on me, just because you have a high school diploma now."  
  
"I don't actually have a high school diploma. I have a blank piece of parchment tied off with a ribbon. The real diplomas come in the mail later."  
  
Brady put a finger on her lips and made a shushing noise. "Stop... just enjoy the drive, don't banter with me."  
  
Chloe pouted in silence. "No banter? But banter is what we do..."  
  
"I know, and we'll get back to it soon enough... Just put on some music and enjoy the scenery."  
  
Chloe sighed and grabbed a CD of her favorite classical music and turned it on. She sat back in her seat and took in the scenery around her. The road to Green Mountain was one of the most scenic drives in the entire state, she imagined. The weather outside was perfect that night, not too hot for June, and the breeze was just cool enough to keep you comfortable.  
  
Brady muttered under his breath, "Classical music... you're a real party girl, you know."  
  
"Heyyyy, it's your CD... Besides, with the forest and the moonlight and the stars... it's like one of those nature shows."  
  
Brady sighed and changed the subject, "You know... there's something I've never told you."  
  
Chloe cringed slightly. "Uh-oh. Something bad?"  
  
"I don't think so, I don't know."  
  
Chloe felt worried now and sat up straight. "Well, what is it?"  
  
Brady hesitated for a moment, not sure if he should mention it. "It's about the night of your accident. I knew that you were out with Phillip that night, and I went to your house to wait for you. I stood outside your window and waited for you to come home, but you never did. I knew when your curfew was, and when you weren't home at that time, I kinda chickened out and went home. I didn't think of it then, but when I was driving away from your street, a police car was driving towards your house. It must have been the cops coming to tell Nancy and Craig the bad news."  
  
Chloe nodded solemnly. "So, how did you end up finding out?"  
  
"I went home and I was upstairs talking to Belle. Your mom called her and told her about you and Phillip. I was standing right there when the phone rang."  
  
"Wow... And, why were you at my house by the way?"  
  
Brady paused and bit his lower lip nervously. "I went there that night... to tell you that I was in love with you."  
  
Chloe's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "What? You did? I thought you said that you were afraid to tell me all that time."  
  
"I was. And, if you had come home... I might have chickened out and not told you anyway. I don't know. But, I know that I wanted to tell you... I wanted to know once and for all if there was a chance for us, instead of letting all of this drag on and on forever. You know, I didn't want to be vicious and purposely break up you and Phillip, I just wanted to make you aware that your options were open. But, the more I stood there waiting the more afraid I got."  
  
Chloe sighed and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you for telling me all this..."  
  
Brady shrugged nonchalantly. "Why? Doesn't make a difference, does it?"  
  
"No, but it's still nice to know."  
  
Chloe slid back into her seat and got more comfortable. They spent the rest of their drive enjoying the music and the beautiful night sky together, her hand resting gently on his knee. Brady pulled the jeep off of the main highway and onto a narrow dirt road. The road led up to a small, quaint cottage surrounded by the lush forest.  
  
Chloe looked closer at it as Brady pulled the jeep in front of it. "Brady, what is this?"  
  
"It's a house."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Yes, I can see that... but whose house is this?"  
  
Brady got out of the jeep and walked around to Chloe's side, opening her door for her and helping her out. "It's our house... well, not OURS, I didn't buy it or anything. I'm just borrowing it... renting it."  
  
Chloe turned to him and smiled sweetly. "It's beautiful..."  
  
Brady grinned proudly and kissed her on the lips. "It's your graduation present."  
  
"Wow, this is so great... But, I didn't get to pack my stuff or anything."  
  
Brady grabbed her hand and led her up the porch and into her house. "Don't worry... I took care of it."  
  
He led her into the master bedroom where his suitcase and hers were sitting beside each other in the corner. Chloe looked at him in confusion. "But how? When did you do all this?"  
  
"I went to your house and packed all your necessities while you were at graduation rehearsal today. Benjamin drove everything up here for me. He's a nice guy, that Ben."  
  
Chloe looked at him in amazement. "Wow, you really do know how to institute a plan."  
  
Brady nodded in pride. "Yes, I do. I just hope I packed all the things you need. Belle gave me a list of all the necessities that you girls like to bring with you everywhere, so I think I got it all covered."  
  
"I'm sure you did just fine... Thank you so much, Brady. Nobody has EVER done something like this for me."  
  
Brady smiled and pulled her into his arms. "You're welcome, you know I plan on doing things like this for you for a very long time to come. Besides, it wasn't just for you... Now I get you all to myself, in a beautiful place, with no interruptions."  
  
Chloe smiled and kissed him on the lips quickly. "No telephones." Another kiss. "No TV." Another kiss. "No parents." Kiss. "No friends." Kiss. "No annoying butler." Kiss. "Just you..." Kiss. "...and me."  
  
"Talk about boring, right?"  
  
Chloe shook her head. "Nope, sounds fine to me."  
  
Brady held on to her hand and led her out of the bedroom. "Well, let me give you the grand tour. That was the bedroom. This is the living room. And over there's the kitchen and dining room."  
  
"Does that mean we have to pee outdoors?"  
  
"No, there's one in the bedroom. Sure, the place doesn't have much too it... but it's cozy, right?"  
  
Chloe smiled and walked towards the kitchen. "It's perfect. Absolutely perfect."  
  
Brady motioned towards the small round dining table. "Then have a seat... I have something for you."  
  
Chloe hesitantly sat down while Brady went into the kitchen and grabbed a few things. He returned holding some sort of cake, a couple of glasses and a plastic bottle of liquid.  
  
He laid the cake in front of her and grinned. "Strawberry cheesecake... your favorite."  
  
"Wow, you really know the way to my heart... And the beverage?"  
  
Brady winked and poured the clear, bubbly liquid into the champagne glasses. "It's Sprite... we're underage, remember?"  
  
Chloe laughed and nodded. "But, I've seen you drink before."  
  
"Yeah, but I wanted to make sure we remain clear-headed tonight. No funny stuff."  
  
Chloe took a sip of her Sprite and grinned. "Clear-headed? Why? Are we planning on doing some precision woodworking? Cause, I didn't know you were crafty."  
  
Brady shrugged. "I've done some whittling."  
  
Chloe looked at him in shock. "Really?"  
  
"Yes, never tell anyone. My point is... I know what a mean drunk you could become, so I'm going to keep that habit from ever starting."  
  
Chloe laughed heartily and took another sip of Sprite. "Fine, whatever you need to tell yourself to get through the night. I guess I should thank you then."  
  
"You're welcome... And, I have something else for you."  
  
Chloe looked impressed. "Oooh... I'm intrigued."  
  
Brady stood and went back into the kitchen. When he returned, he was holding two small plates and two forks. He laid them on the table and cut a piece of cheesecake for Chloe, and one for himself.  
  
"You brought me plates and utensils? Wow... the romance just doesn't stop with you."  
  
"Noooo... I forgot to bring the plates and utensils before. The present is in my pocket."  
  
Chloe gazed at him seriously. "Brady... you didn't have to get me something. I mean, all this... it's enough... it's too much actually."  
  
Brady shook his head and pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket. "Shhhh... Just let me do something nice for the woman I love."  
  
Chloe smiled and slowly opened the box. Resting on a burgundy piece of velvet was a silver heart locket on a chain. The front was engraved with an angel, and when she opened it there was a very small picture of Brady and Chloe together.  
  
Chloe looked surprised and her eyes widened. "Brady... it's us. Like, REALLY us. Not the Jan me, it's the real me."  
  
"Chloe, you are the real you. It doesn't matter whether you look like Jan or you look like Chloe."  
  
Chloe smiled happily at him, still in awe. "Where did this picture come from?"  
  
"You don't remember?" Chloe shook her head and Brady continued, "Last summer, when Phillip was out of town and we went to the park together that day. Remember how I held the camera in my hand and turned it around so I could get one picture of us together."  
  
Chloe nodded, the memory coming back to her. "Yeah, I remember now. That's why we're laughing so hard in this picture. You made me sit on your lap, and you kept poking me in the side and making me laugh."  
  
Brady nodded happily and pointed out the angel on the front of the locket. "And that's... that's because I think you are an angel."  
  
"Cause I came back from the dead..."  
  
Brady shook his head and smiled at her. "No, that's only half the reason."  
  
Chloe sighed contentedly. "Brady... it's perfect, absolutely perfect. YOU are perfect."  
  
"I hear that cheesecake is pretty perfect too. You should ask it though, just to make sure."  
  
Chloe laughed and took a bite of the cheesecake. "Definitely perfect."  
  
Brady smiled and took a bite of his own cake. "Did you know that you can never use the word perfect too many times? Especially when in reference to me..."  
  
Chloe muttered through a mouthful of dessert, "I'll keep that in mind... thanks."  
  
They quickly finished their dessert and Brady leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head, sighing deeply. "So, Chloe Lane, Jan Spears... now that you're officially graduated, what are you going to do with your life?"  
  
Chloe groaned. "Ugh. You mean I have to think about it?"  
  
"What about your singing?"  
  
"Can't do it. It's mostly a biological thing. I can hold a tune and everything, but this body is an alto. With some training, I could be alright, but some bodies just aren't built for opera."  
  
Brady nodded and frowned slightly. "Fascinating... So what else is there?"  
  
Chloe shrugged sadly. "I don't know. Music was always 'it' for me. I never even considered other possibilities. And now that I can't be a soprano at the Met, I'm one of those lost and directionless teenagers that have television shows on the WB about them."  
  
"Well, that's a thought... you could be an actress."  
  
Chloe shook her head and wrinkled her nose up. "Noooo, I don't think so. I was thinking about being... a teacher. But, I'd teach little kids, not teenagers. Teenagers are ick. You can do more guiding when the kids are young and impressionable."  
  
"I happen to think that would be a very noble profession."  
  
Chloe nodded proudly. "But, I am still young... so I've got time to think about it."  
  
"That's right... live in the now, be young, enjoy your youth... Dance with your extremely handsome, perfectly wonderful boyfriend."  
  
Chloe winked at him and grinned wickedly. "I would love to, but he's not here... he's out of town for the weekend."  
  
Brady rolled his eyes and stood from his seat. He reached his hand out to her and she grabbed it tightly, standing with him. "Well then, you'll just have to settle for me."  
  
Chloe paused, as if she was considering and weighing her options. "Alright then... I hope you have music."  
  
"I do..." Brady led her into the living room and pushed a few buttons on a small CD player next to the couch. He turned back to her and smiled. "Hope this will do..."  
  
Chloe smiled back at him as he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. The music started and they began moving together, holding each other tightly.   
  
***Earth angel, earth angel  
Will you be mine?  
My darling dear  
Love you all the time  
I'm just a fool  
A fool in love with you***  
  
Brady smiled and whispered into her ear, "I think this is our song..."  
  
"We don't have a song, Brady..."  
  
"But we could..."  
  
Chloe smiled and laid her head on his chest, listening to the music playing behind her.  
  
***Earth angel, earth angel  
The one I adore  
Love you forever and ever more  
I'm just a fool  
A fool in love with you  
  
I fell for you and I knew  
The vision of your loveliness  
I hoped and I pray that someday  
I'll be the vision of your happiness  
  
Earth angel, earth angel  
Please be mine  
My darling dear  
Love you all the time  
I'm just a fool  
A fool in love with you  
  
I fell for you and I knew  
The vision of your loveliness  
I hope and pray that someday  
That I'll be the vision of your happiness   
  
Earth angel, earth angel  
Please be mine  
My darling dear  
Love you all the time  
I'm just a fool   
A fool in love with you***  
  
The song ended, and another slow song began, but Chloe stopped dancing. She looked up into Brady's eyes and sighed softly. "I love you so much, Brady Black. I can't even begin to tell you..."  
  
"You don't have to, because if it's even half as much as I love you, then it's perfect."  
  
"Are we turning into one of those gross mushy couples that say things like, 'I love you!', 'No! I love you more!' all the time?"  
  
Brady nodded sadly. "Unfortunately, yes."  
  
"Okay... just promise to smack me if I start calling you schmoopie or muffin-butt or something."  
  
Brady laughed and winked at her. "Oh, but I like muffin-butt. That one's good. You can use that one."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes and started to speak, but Brady silenced her with a deep passionate kiss. Chloe had worn a dress with thin spaghetti straps that night, so her neck, shoulders and arms were completely bare. Brady's kiss made her melt in his arms so that her body was even closer to him. He moved his lips from hers and kissed her neck gently, slowly inching his way down her bare shoulders with his lips. Chloe sighed with joy and ran one hand through his blonde hair. Brady moved his way back up and kissed her on the lips once more.  
  
Chloe broke away with a sigh, still holding on to him tightly. "Brady... I love you."  
  
"I love you too."  
  
Chloe nervously whispered, "I want you."  
  
Brady looked somewhat shocked, as if he didn't expect for her to make the first move. "Are you sure? You know I won't do anything that you don't want. We can wait as long as you want."  
  
Chloe shook her head. "No, Brady. I know why we came up here... and I want it too."  
  
"No, that's not the reason why I brought you up here. I don't want you to think that I brought you here just to take advantage of you. I brought you here to spend time with you."  
  
Chloe nodded and smiled weakly. "So... you don't want to?"  
  
Brady looked at her with both eyebrows raised. "Are you kidding? I would have done it a long time ago, if you had asked. I love you Chloe, and I would love to make love to you... But, I never wanted to pressure you."  
  
"You're not pressuring me. I was waiting for the right moment, and this is THE perfect moment. So, let's not ruin it with a bunch of talk?"  
  
Brady grinned slyly. "Wellllll... if you insist."  
  
"Do you..." Chloe stammered a tiny bit. "Do you have, you know, protection?"  
  
"Hey, I used to be a Boy Scout, and you know what our motto is."  
  
Chloe paused to think about it and raised one hand in the Vulcan salute. "Live long and prosper?"  
  
Brady laughed and shook his head. "No... 'Be Prepared'... it's a way of life for any hormonal young man."  
  
"Well then... lead the way."  
  
Brady pulled her closer and kissed her deeply again. He deftly unzipped the back of her dress with one hands and pulled the straps down. The feel of his warm hands on her cool flesh made Chloe tingle all over. They moved together to the bedroom, holding on and never letting go.  
***  
(Hey! I don't write NC-17. Use your imagination, it's probably much naughtier than anything I would write. And if you don't believe in sex before marriage, pretend that they went in the bedroom and played a rousing game of Scrabble.)  



	19. The Hike

(Next morning...)  
  
Chloe awoke slowly that morning, her eyes barely fluttering opening and her hand moving across the bed to look for Brady. His side of the bed was empty, but still warm. She sighed and sat up on her elbows, but he was nowhere in sight. She sat up all the way and stretched sleepily, slipping out of the bed and into the bathrobe that Brady had packed for her. Chloe's tiny feet padded across the hardwood floor and into the living room.  
  
She hesitantly called out, "Braaaaaady..."  
  
Brady walked out of the kitchen carrying two plates and laid them down on the table. "Good morning, I was just about to go get you."  
  
Chloe walked closer to the table and raised an eyebrow. "You cook? I didn't know you can cook."  
  
Brady shrugged. "I TRIED to cook, I'm not sure how it turned out. If it's terrible, I'll take you to McDonalds."  
  
Chloe sat down and picked up her fork with a smile. "Well, I'm sure it'll be fine. Eggs aren't that hard to do."   
  
She took a taste of the eggs and nodded as she chewed. Brady sat down and glanced at her expectantly. "So...?"  
  
Chloe swallowed and smiled weakly. "Edible..."  
  
Brady took a bite off of his own plate and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Just barely edible... Ugh, I'm sorry."  
  
Chloe shook her head and picked up a piece of bacon. "No, it's fine. The bacon is good. The toast is very toasty. It's just fine."  
  
"I promise that from now on all of our meals will be restaurant food... I don't want to give you food poisoning or something. So, uhm... how do you feel this morning?"  
  
Chloe took a sip of her orange juice and shrugged. She showed Brady her teeth and tapped them with her index finger. "I feel like I want to brush my teeth. They feel all fuzzy."  
  
Brady chuckled and shook his head. "That's not what I meant... I meant, how do you feel about last night?"  
  
Chloe nodded in understanding. "Ohhhhhh... I feel good, why wouldn't I?"  
  
Brady hesitated nervously. "I don't know... sometimes people regret it. I know that you've never done that before, and I wanted to make sure that everything was okay."  
  
"Everything was perfect. Stop worrying about it. I spent my first life full of regrets and anguish, I'm not going to do that with this life. I regret nothing, and I'm deliriously and disgustingly happy with the world right now."  
  
Brady smiled happily. "Good... I was just checking. So, what do you want to do today?"  
  
Chloe grinned wickedly at him. "I don't know... what we did last night sounds alright to me."  
  
Brady gasped in mock amazement. "Sheesh, you are insatiable. You win your first game of Scrabble, and then it's Scrabble Scrabble Scrabble all the time. I think it was beginner's luck, and you won't be so lucky next time. The triple word score will be mine, devil woman."  
  
Chloe laughed loudly, nearly snorting her orange juice through her nose. "Stop it, Brady. You're going to make my orange juice come out of places it wasn't meant to come out of. I'm talking about what we did BEFORE the Scrabble game, and AFTER too."  
  
Brady winked at her and smiled. "Yeah, I know. But, that can wait until after the hike."  
  
Chloe's eyes widened and she looked at him nervously. "The HIKE?"  
  
Brady nodded and took his plate into the kitchen. He returned and grinned widely at her. "Yeah, the hike. There's some really nice trails up near the mountain, some of the best views you'll ever see. And, don't worry, it's nothing too strenuous, you won't break any of your oh so precious limbs or anything."  
  
"Did you pack me appropriate shoes and clothing for mountain hiking?"  
  
Brady did a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am... Now, finish your breakfast and get ready to go while I load the jeep up. If you want to be up there before tomorrow, we have to get going."  
  
Chloe returned his salute. "Sir, yes, sir. I'll get right on that." She quickly finished her nearly edible breakfast, and took the plate into the kitchen. Brady was doing the dishes and she flashed a bright smile at him before heading the other way to get showered and ready.  
***  
  
(Top O' The Mountain...)  
  
Brady and Chloe had hiked together for a couple of hours before reaching the highest spot that they could possibly reach. Brady found a small, secluded clearing that provided plenty of shade underneath the trees. He dropped his large backpack with a thud, and sat on a log beside it to open it up.  
  
Chloe sat beside him and grinned. "You mean, there's actually stuff in that gigantic backpack? It's not just so you can look like a rugged, outdoorsy, manly man?"  
  
"No, I carry it for both reasons. It's functional AND rugged." Brady grabbed what he was looking for. A blanket just big enough for both of them to sit on. He spread the blanket in the shade and took a seat on one edge of it, as Chloe joined him and sat Indian style across from him. Brady pulled out a small bag with two sandwiches and grabbed their bottled water, placing it between them.  
  
"Well, I am impressed. You really ARE a Boy Scout. You brought all the necessities, and you didn't get us lost either." Chloe unwrapped her sandwich and started to nibble on it.  
  
"We did this stuff a lot when I was a kid. Belle hated all the hiking, so it just ended up being Dad and me most of the time. I know these trails pretty well. We would hike while the girls would go swimming on the lake or something. Sometimes the Bradys came so Shawn and Bo would go hiking with us too. You should see Shawn, he's like king of the mountain up here. He could lead anybody anywhere."  
  
Chloe smiled and nodded. "And your sister would probably follow him anywhere too. Those two are just disgustingly perfect sometimes."  
  
Brady chuckled and nodded in agreement. "And as her big brother, Shawn Brady is the ONLY one I think is even close to being good enough for her. I can already imagine them in 10 years, married, 2 kids, a boy and a girl, a puppy, a little pink house and a Toyota Camry. Far too picture perfect..."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes at him. "Doesn't sound so bad. Might be nice for SOMEONE to have a normal life in Salem. And what about you, Brady? What will YOU be doing in 10 years? Bumming rides in your sister's Toyota? Babysitting little Shawn Jr. and Shawna?"  
  
"You make it sound like I have no ambitions."  
  
Chloe shrugged slightly. "You do still live with your parents."  
  
"Not for long. Want to help me find an apartment next week?"  
  
Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah, really. I've been wanting to for awhile, and I've got the money and the job, I just need to find a hip and happening place to put the welcome mat in front of."  
  
Chloe smiled slightly. "Well, then I take back what I said about your ambitions. Now, back to what I was asking. You asked me what I'm going to do with my life last night. It's your turn now. Where will YOU be in 10 years?"  
  
Brady grinned and kissed her on the forehead. "Wherever you are."  
  
Chloe nearly choked on her sandwich. "What are you trying to say?"  
  
"Calm down, Chloe. It's not like I'm popping the question this very second. It's just that, as of right now, there is no other person I can imagine spending the rest of my life with. Don't panic, it's just a thought... nothing is written in stone."  
  
Chloe nodded and took a sip of water. "I'm not panicking... I'm just, wow... that's a big thing, you know."  
  
Brady smiled and moved his hand to rest on her knee. "I know. But, we've got lots of time before we even need to start thinking about that stuff."  
  
Chloe looked downward and nibbled on her sandwich again. "Well, it is an interesting thought. So, then I would be Jan Black, Mrs. Black, right? I'd rather it be Chloe..."  
  
"Doesn't matter what it is... and besides, I'm a modern man, you can hyphenate if you want."  
  
Chloe wrinkled her nose up. "Jan Spears-Black? That sounds even worse. So, how many kids do you want?"  
  
"Wait a second... Five seconds ago you were all panicky, and now you're asking me how many kids I want? Have you been introduced to schizophrenia all of a sudden?"  
  
Chloe chuckled and shook her head. "No, I'm just curious... It's a girly thing to talk about your wedding, your children and all that, but without actually WANTING those things right this second."  
  
Brady nodded, still confused. "Then my answer is at least two, four at the most. You?"  
  
"Same. I never had real parents, so I would love to be a really good mother to my own children. One is not enough, and five is totally pushing it. I want kids, but there are boundaries and limits to my patience. What about your career? Do you have a career?"  
  
Brady paused thoughtfully. "I kind of like what I'm doing now. I always thought I'd be a musician, but now I really like working for Basic Black. My dad said he was building this company so that his kids would have something when he was gone, and I think I'd like to take over my dad's business someday. I know Belle won't want to, she's not ruthless enough to be an executive."  
  
Chloe grinned and winked at him. "Plus, you get to wear those sexy business suits all the time. I like the suits."  
  
Brady chuckled and laid down on his back, his head resting on his hands. "Just one of the perks of being a high powered business executive. So, how does it all sound when you put it together? Me, the President of Basic Black with my beautiful, intelligent, absolutely perfect wife the elementary school teacher and our 2 to 4 children. A nice minivan so we can take the kids to soccer practice and for family vacations. We should get a beautiful home with a big piece of land around it, swimming pool, swing set and… a gazebo."  
  
Chloe laid back and rested her head on Brady's chest. She looked at up at him and smiled. "Can we have a puppy?"  
  
"Sure, why not? We can have all the puppies you want. And, on the weekends, you and Belle can do your chick stuff together while Shawn and I play basketball with the kids."  
  
Chloe sighed happily. "And what about Phillip? And Mimi too?"  
  
Brady bit his lip slightly, deep in thought. "Uhmmmmm... I don't know what they're doing. But, they are there, of course. Maybe Mimi will have her own TV talk show, she's perky enough for it. And Phillip will be running Titan, I'm sure."  
  
"And we'll all live happily ever..." Chloe paused and sighed deeply. "Not very likely."  
  
Brady gently stroked a hand through her hair. "Don't say that. Happy endings are possible in this world."  
  
"I wish I could believe that, but look at how everything turns out for most of the people we know. It's just unthinkable that we'll all go on and have these picture perfect lives. It's like when you're 8 years old and you tell your friend that you'll be 'friends forever and ever', and then you're not even speaking to each other 3 years later."  
  
Brady held her closer and stroked her back reassuringly. "You can't think that way, Chloe. I'm not saying that things will always be perfect, but whatever happens we'll come through it. We have before and we will again. I've been shot, Belle was in a coma, Shawn has had his life in danger numerous times, Mimi was homeless, Phillip had a gambling problem..."  
  
Chloe interjected, "I died..."  
  
"Exactly. And we've always bounced back, haven't we? I hate to sound like a cliche, but what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."  
  
Chloe felt a lump in her throat, and a strange gnawing sensation at the back of her brain. For months she had completely pushed away the warning that Keyes had given her. She had tried to enjoy her life, and not worry about the warning, but at this moment his words had come flooding back to her. Chloe began to worry about the consequences of her love with Brady, and she hoped that whatever was to come was just another thing they would bounce back from.  
  
Chloe sighed and pulled herself closer to Brady. "I hope you're right, I really do."  
  
"I am right. Everything will be okay, Chloe."  
  
Chloe silently prayed that he was right. Everything had been going so well lately, that part of her was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. She was waiting for her entire world to be torn apart once more. They laid there together in each other's arms making conversation about happier subjects for the rest of the afternoon. Together they pointed out shapes that they saw in the white fluffy clouds above them, and enjoyed the sounds of the forest. As the sun began to fall, they decided to gather their things and head back to their car before they got stuck up there in the dark.  
***  



	20. Consequences

The night had just turned black as Brady pulled his jeep into the service station on the highway. He pulled up to the gas pumps and shut the car off, but left the radio on.  
  
"I'm going to go in and pay for gas, and grab a couple of things. You want to come in?"  
  
Chloe shook her head. "Nahh, I'll just stay out here and listen to the radio."  
  
Brady got out and smiled at her. "Okay, be right back."  
  
Chloe watched him walk into the store and then turned her attentions back to the car stereo. She took the CD out and replaced it with something more relaxing. Her body ached from the hiking and she couldn't wait to get home and take a nice hot bath. She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes tightly, her body relaxing as she listened to the soothing melodies.  
  
A few minutes later she heard a quiet, but audible, tapping noise on the hood of the jeep. She opened her eyes slowly and noticed a small blue bird sitting on the hood. Chloe leaned forward to get a closer look and the bird turned. It almost seemed as it was looking directly at Chloe, greeting her.  
  
"Hey there, little birdy."  
  
The bird chirped at her a few times and then flew away in the direction of the service station building. Chloe turned her head to follow it, and when it was out of sight she noticed what was happening inside the station. She could barely make it out from where she was, but she saw Brady very clearly. He was standing in view of the glass doors and was holding his hands up in the air. She looked closer and noticed an elderly man, the store's clerk and a young woman were all doing the same. There was a small child with her arms around the young woman's leg. They were all being held there by a thin, dark haired man with a gun.  
  
Chloe's heart dropped into her stomach and she grabbed Brady's cell phone out of his glove box. She quickly dialed 911 and waited for an operator to pick up.  
  
"911, what's your emergency?"  
  
Chloe nervously crept out of the vehicle and crouched out of view. "I'm at the Mini Mart on Highway 37, the one by the Green Mountain hiking trails. I think they're being held up."  
  
"Are you in the store, ma'am?"  
  
Chloe choked back a sob. "No, I'm outside. But, my boyfriend is in there. There is a man with a gun inside. There are other people in the store, a little girl. You have to send someone right away."  
  
"Alright, someone is on their way right now. Remain calm and stay out of the way of what is happening in there."  
  
Chloe stealthily moved towards the store and crept down by the door. She wanted to stay out of view, but still be able to see and hear what was going on.  
  
"Are you still there? What else can you tell me?"  
  
Chloe had tears running down her face by this point. She was trying not to sob over the phone, but she knew that Keyes' warning was coming true. This had to be the consequences. Her heart froze at the thought of losing Brady. She could barely speak, but replied, "I'm here. It looks like he's taking the money now."  
  
"What does he look like?"  
  
"I can't really see his face, but he's thin and about 5'10 or 5'11 maybe. He's got dark brown hair, and a dark beard."  
  
Chloe saw the man point the gun towards the young mother and her little girl. Brady was yelling something at him as the man kept his gun firmly pointed towards the young mother, his finger on the trigger.   
  
A sob erupted from Chloe's throat and she frantically whispered in to the phone. "Oh my God... somebody has to help... NOW. He's going to shoot her right in front of the little girl. Please, help..."  
  
The 911 operator's voice had remained calm thus far, but Chloe was starting to sense the fear in the operator's voice. "Sweetie, you have to remain as calm as possible. The police are on their way right now, you'll hear the sirens any minute. He just wants the money, he's not going to hurt anybody."  
  
Chloe saw Brady yelling and waving his arms wildly. She knew that he was trying to stop the man from hurting this woman and her daughter. The man kept yelling at Brady as he moved closer to the woman.   
  
Chloe continued to sob into the phone. "I don't think so... I think he's mad. He's going to kill someone. Oh my God..."  
  
Chloe couldn't really hear what they were yelling back and forth to each other, she only made out a few words here and there. She could tell that Brady was trying to save the young woman, and it was only making the burglar angrier. Chloe's entire body tensed up when she saw the man turn towards Brady. This time she clearly heard his words as he shouted them loudly, "Well, then why don't I just kill you?"  
  
Chloe's body went numb as the man walked closer to Brady and rested the barrel of the gun on his forehead. She let the cell phone slip out of her hand and hit the ground below her.  
  
"Oh God... this isn't happening... I can't let this happen..."   
  
Chloe stood up and gathered all the courage left in her body. She stormed through the door and screamed at the top of her lungs, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! BRAAAADY!!"  
  
She saw the man turn around and point his gun towards her. She didn't know what happened next except that it felt like a ton of bricks had hit her point blank in the chest. She fell to the ground, but still felt nothing except for the pressure on her chest. Her body felt numb, almost as if everything was happening in slow motion. Brady ran towards her and fell to his knees beside her, the shooter had already run out of the building. Brady laid his hand on her wound and looked at her with fear in his eyes.  
  
Chloe blinked rapidly as she looked into Brady's face. "Brady... it doesn't hurt."  
  
Brady pulled her up into his lap and kept one hand on her wound, hoping that the pressure would stop the bleeding. "Oh God, Chloe... you're going to be okay."  
  
Chloe shook her head weakly. "No... I'm not. This is it. I changed history. I'm sorry, Brady... I couldn't let you die."  
  
"No, Chloe... this isn't it. You can't leave me yet. This isn't how it's supposed to end. What about the minivan? And our 2 to 4 kids? Our house with the pool and the gazebo and the puppies?:  
  
Chloe's face was filled with pain. "I'm sorry, Brady. I don't want to leave, but I have to. You can have all those things though, you have to move on."  
  
"I can't, I can't do anything without you."  
  
Chloe weakly stroked his face with her hand. "You have to. Don't make this all in vain. I want you to live, and you have to promise me that you will move on and be happy. I didn't stand in front of that gun so you could die inside. You have to be happy, please be happy for my sake."  
  
"You're not going anywhere, Chloe. I'm not letting you go."  
  
Chloe looked at him sadly, her face drained of all its color. "No, I have to go. It's time to go... it's earlier than I thought, but I had to save you."  
  
Brady shook his head, his own tears dropping on to Chloe's face. "Shhh, Chloe. You're going to be okay. I can hear the sirens already, they're going to help you. You'll be fine."  
  
"No, Brady... you have to accept it. I knew that something bad was coming, and this is it. Just remember that I love you. I love you more than anything."  
  
Brady kissed her forehead and held her closer. "I love you too, Chloe... Please don't go."  
  
"I have to go. It's getting dark now, and it's time to go. But, I'll see you again someday... I'll always be here for you."  
  
Brady sobbed loudly and kept kissing her face as he rocked her back and forth. The room around her grew darker and Chloe smiled weakly at Brady as she closed her eyes. The last words she heard before all the sounds around her stopped was, "I love you..."  
***  
(Ugh. It's so hard for me to kill people in my stories. But don't worry, it's not over yet.)  



	21. The Fix

Chapter Twenty-One  
  
Chloe awoke on a small, but cozy, bed underneath a white blanket. She sat up slowly and surveyed her surroundings. The room around her was mostly dark except for one bulb in the middle of the ceiling. There was a large big screen TV against the opposite wall.   
  
Chloe slipped out from underneath the blanket and stood up. She noticed that she was dressed in a white pair of pajamas, and that wasn't the only thing that was changed. No longer did she look like Jan, for she had returned to her previous body somehow. She stood for a moment and admired the change, enjoying the added height and running her fingers through her straight hair that reached down her back.  
  
"Wow... wish I had a mirror in here..." She muttered under her breath.  
  
She heard a knocking at the door and stared at in surprise. "Uhh... come in, I guess..."  
  
The door creeped open slowly and Keyes tentatively stepped inside. "Look, I knocked... I know how much you hate me creeping up on you like I usually do."  
  
Chloe didn't even bother to respond to his statement. She crossed her arms angrily and sat on the edge of the bed. Tears began to well up in her eyes, and her voice broke a little as she talked, "You lied to me, Keyes. You said I had at least sixty more years."  
  
Keyes sighed sadly and sat on the bed next to her. "Chloe, I... I've never lied to you. You were SUPPOSED to have at least sixty years. I don't know how you do it kiddo, but you keep on changing the path. I guess when God built you, he made you stronger than most."  
  
Chloe looked at him in confusion. "I changed the path? Brady... he WAS going to die, wasn't he?"  
  
"Yeah, it was supposed to be him. Nobody here expected you to do what you did. You've got a strong will, Chloe, amazingly strong."  
  
"So, I changed the path and it led Brady to his death, but I changed it again. What if he had never found out the truth about me being, well... myself."  
  
Keyes pulled something that looked like a remote control out of his pocket. "Well, let me show you. See, this room is usually where we take you after sign-in and you get your life to flash before your eyes. But, YOU get to something else entirely."  
  
Keyes clicked the remote and the TV turned on. The scene playing before them was like something out of a movie, only it was a movie starring Chloe in Jan's Body, and Brady. The picture showed Chloe walking around the campus of Salem University with Brady. They were chatting about idle things when Brady smiled at her and clasped her hand in his. She stopped and looked at him closely, and he quietly whispered, "I love you," and kissed her gently on the lips.  
  
Chloe sighed softly and looked at Keyes. "When does this happen?"  
  
"About 2 years after the accident. He had to be given time to get over your death."  
  
Chloe looked surprise. "Two years? I really did screw up this time. We would have ended up together anyway."  
  
Keyes nodded. "You're soulmates, the two of you. Most people never find theirs, and you two found each other."  
  
Chloe buried her face in her hands and cried softly. "I can't believe this. I'm so sorry. I should have listened to you. I got myself killed because I didn't follow the rules. Brady almost died because I couldn't keep things to myself. I'm so sorry."  
  
Keyes put a comforting arm around her as she sobbed into his chest. "I know, it doesn't seem fair right now. And, I wish I could fix the mistake I made but I don't have the power. Only HE does."  
  
Chloe lifted her head and nodded sadly. "I understand. I just want to know one thing, what happens to Brady now?"  
  
Keyes clicked the remote again and the TV began showing scenes of a much older Brady. "He goes over the edge for awhile, but then he remembers your words about being happy and moving on. So, he honors your wishes... he comes back from the breaking point. He's never the same of course, since he's lost you twice... But, he does get married, and has children and lives a long happy life. He never forgets you. You're always going to be in his heart."  
  
Chloe wiped a few tears from her face and turned her head away from the TV. "And what about the car accident? What if you had taken the right person?"  
  
"Boy, you are just full of 'what ifs' and 'what might be' tonight, aren't you?"  
  
Chloe frowned slightly. "I just need to know. What harm could it do now, right?"  
  
Keyes shrugged and clicked the remote again. He began fast-forwarding through the events that would have followed the accident. She sees herself and Phillip recovering from their injuries, going to their prom together, going on a summer trip with Shawn and Belle, and a breakup at the beginning of college.  
  
She waves her hand for Keyes to pause. "Whoa... why did we break up? We look pretty happy before that."  
  
"You go to New York for music school, Phillip stays in Salem. Plus, the thrill is gone. High school relationships rarely last. And, well... that's all I'm allowed to show you. But, there was a happily ever after in there somewhere. A very happy ending, actually."  
  
For the first time since her arrival, Chloe grinned at Keyes. "Wow, you really did screw up too."  
  
"And I'm glad you have a sense of humor about it."  
  
Chloe shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't think I have much of a choice anymore. I've cried, screamed and yelled already... none of that helps. Might as well laugh."  
  
"It's not over yet."  
  
Chloe looked at him in near horror. "You're kidding me, right? How much worse can it get?"  
  
Keyes shook his head and waved a hand to reassure her. "No, no, no. Not worse. Better, I hope. King is in a meeting with the boss right now, they're discussing your situation and what to do about it."  
  
"You mean... there IS something that can be done? I figured that this was it. Stick a fork in me, I'm done. You're not going to put me in ANOTHER body, are you?"  
  
Keyes looked unsure. "I don't know yet. That's what they're figuring out right now. I think there are other options to be discussed though. We'll just have to wait here and see."  
  
Chloe looked somewhat impressed. "Wow, other options... And God is having a discussion about ME? I'm surprised..."  
  
"Don't be. Needless to say, He was intrigued by your display of will and would like to help you out."  
  
"What kind of options are there?"  
  
Keyes shrugged. "I'm not really sure, to tell you the truth. We just have to wait and find out."  
  
Chloe nodded and looked downward. There was a long awkward silence and Chloe inspected her fingernails closely. After a very long time of silence, she pointed towards her white pajamas and looked at Keyes. "So, you guys really like the color white up here..."  
  
"White's not really a color. Not technically."  
  
"Not my point... Just saying, the pajamas, the bed linens, the walls. Is everything up here so bright, shiny and white?"  
  
Keyes shrugged. "Mostly... but not when you get past the orientation. After that, your living space can be whatever you want it to be. That's why they call it heaven."  
  
Chloe nodded. "Guess you can have all the white stuff when you don't really have to worry about laundry and dust."  
  
"That's what most people name as their favorite part. No vacuuming, laundry service or dusting required up here."  
  
"So, why do I look like me again?" Chloe said as she motioned towards her own body.  
  
"Up here, you're whatever you want to be. You look like this because that's what you are most comfortable with. Even if you die when you're 99 years old, you can still look 23 up here... if that's when you liked yourself best."  
  
"Cool... that's good to know..." Chloe was interrupted when the door opened and King stepped inside. A chair appeared in front of her, and King seated himself in it so he could face Chloe and Keyes.  
  
"Keyes, Chloe... Nice to see you."  
  
Chloe chuckled softly. "Wish I could say the same..."  
  
King nodded and smirked. "Yeah, yeah, I know, you don't really want to be here..."  
  
"Well, no offense... I'm sure it's a lovely place to be... but there are some things missing."  
  
"Well, that's what we had the meeting about. By the way, my boss is very impressed with you. Rarely does he build one that..."  
  
Chloe finished his sentence, "...screws things up so badly."  
  
King chuckled and shook his head. "No, that's not what I was going to say. Listen, a lot of mistakes have been made, but that's not what I'm here to talk to you about. Like I was saying, he's proud of you. You defied the path, and for better or worse, changed the way things were supposed to be heading. You have a very strong will, and we're mostly at a loss to explain what has happened in your situation."  
  
"Well, I guess I'll take that as a compliment. But, I did still screw up."  
  
"Granted, yes, you broke the rules that Keyes gave you. But, you ended up changing that path by risking your life to save another's. Aside from your strong will, you showed bravery and selflessness under fire. God just loves to see that."  
  
Chloe smiled proudly. "Well, YAY for me. But, what now?"  
  
King clasped his hands together and looked at her solemnly. "We made a mistake..."  
  
Keyes interjected, "I made the mistake."  
  
King nodded and continued, "Right, KEYES made a mistake. We tried to let it work itself out on its own, but it didn't. God doesn't do this every time we made a mistake, but this time... he's making an exception. Don't ask why, don't question his authority, just be grateful for it."  
  
Chloe gave him a confused glance. "Be grateful for what? What is going to happen?"  
  
"You have choices now, three of them. You can either stay here in heaven..."  
  
"And what about the people I love?"  
  
King continued, "They'll be here eventually, but not for a very long time. You will be reunited with them when their time on earth is up. Your second choice is for us to find you another body. We can be choosy if you want, you can live another person's life in another place if that sounds enticing."  
  
Chloe shook her head. "I don't know about that... what's the third choice?"  
  
"You go back. We never do things like that, but in this case, we will. We'll send you back to the day of the accident, and everything will continue on the original path from there. But..."  
  
Chloe waved a hand in front of her motioning to King to stop talking. "Don't say it. A 'but' is a bad thing. There's a catch, right?"  
  
Beside her Keyes smirked and muttered under his breath, "There's always a catch."  
  
King nodded and continued, "Yes, there is a catch. You'll go back, you'll be in your own body, you'll survive the accident... but you won't have any memory of what happened. You won't remember being Jan, or being with Brady, or even knowing us at all. It will all be wiped out."  
  
Chloe sighed and nodded in understanding. "And there's no chance in even keeping at least some of the good memories?"  
  
"I don't think so... I'm not going to count it out entirely, but it's only about a one in a billion chance that you'll remember even one small thing."  
  
Chloe smiled hopefully. "But, it's still a chance. So, what if DO go back and my 'strong will' screws up the 'path' again? What if I screw it up even worse than the first time?"  
  
"You won't. And, if you do... then we'll intervene."  
  
Chloe raised both of her eyebrows. "But, Keyes said that you guys don't intervene. That you NEVER intervene."  
  
King grinned at her slyly. "Well, quite frankly... NOT intervening in your case is more dangerous than doing a little intervention now and then."  
  
"Why me? What makes me so different that you're willing to intervene, and even do things hat you said you couldn't?"  
  
King shrugged and smiled bashfully. "We screwed up. It's like when you go out to eat and they screw up your order. You usually end up getting your meal for free, and maybe even a free dessert. We screwed up so bad that we're willing to go the extra mile and fix things. You're getting the free dessert and then some."  
  
"And what about Brady? Do we end up together if I go back?"  
  
"I can't tell you that. I don't want to influence the decision you're about to make more than I already have. I can tell that you'll lead a long and happy life, and that your friend Brady does too... but I can't give you any more than that. You have to want to go back for your sake, not his."  
  
Chloe looked at him in confusion. "But Keyes said that we're soulmates. Wouldn't we most likely end up together?"  
  
King wavered and shrugged his shoulders. "Not necessarily. Most people never find their soulmates, because their soulmates might live 15,000 miles away, or things just don't work out because of circumstance or tragedy. You will be reunited with him in the afterlife, but we make no guarantees about real life."  
  
Chloe nodded and sighed softy. "But, I have to have hope. I love him, and I know that he loves me, so I just have to hope that there's a chance."  
  
"Well, that's a good attitude to have but you have to remember something. If we send you back, you'll have no memory of the love that you shared with him, and neither will he. It will be just like none of this ever happened. You won't even remember Keyes and myself. You'll be a blank slate."  
  
Chloe stood and paced silently, trying to make her decision. She finally turned to the two men on the bed and crossed her arms confidently. "Take me back."  
  
Keyes looked at her in surprise. "Are you sure? Most people are pretty happy up here. Are you sure you want to go back?"  
  
Chloe nodded, completely sure of herself. "I'm completely sure. And, it's not just because of Brady... that's what I just realized. I'm sure that it's lovely here, but I miss my friends, and I miss Nancy and Craig. I want to experience all those things that I haven't done yet. I want to have a better relationship with my mother, I want to get married and have children, and a career... I'm one hundred percent sure. Take me back."  
  
Keyes smiled widely. "I think you made the right decision, kiddo."  
  
King nodded and stood from the bed. "I think so too. You ready to go then?"  
  
"Just give me a minute." Chloe walked towards Keyes who stood up from the bed and smiled at her. She gave him a quick hug and smiled back. "Just wanted to tell you goodbye, and thank you for everything."  
  
"Well, it's not really goodbye... I'll see you again someday... many many many years from now."  
  
Chloe chuckled softly. "But, I won't remember you."  
  
Keyes shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll make sure to tell you all about it."  
  
Chloe grinned at him. "I'll never believe you."  
  
"That's okay... it'll be fun to see the look on your face when I try to tell you."  
  
Chloe smiled and stepped away from him. "I'll see you later then..." Chloe turned to King and smiled tentatively at him. "Alright, I'm ready now."  
  
King nodded firmly and put his hand in front of her eyes. "The re-entry will be pretty easy, you won't even know that something happened. Just a cool breeze and you're there. Close your eyes please..."  
  
Chloe did as she was told and took a deep breath. She heard King snap his fingers in front of her eyes, and then everything stopped again. No sound, no movement, nothingness.  
***  



	22. Welcome Home

Chapter Twenty-Two  
  
Chloe stood in front of Tuscany alone, waiting for Phillip to bring the car around. It was an unseasonably warm night for January, but still chilly enough for Chloe to wrap her arms around herself to keep warm. She felt a whooshing noise behind her and turned her head to look, but saw nothing.  
  
She muttered under her breath quietly, "Must have been the wind... weird."  
  
Phillip's car drove up and he leaned over to open the passenger side door for her. She jumped in the car and quickly put her seatbelt on. Phillip stared at her strangely for a moment before speaking, "Chloe... you don't look so good all of a sudden. You look pretty pale. Are you okay?"  
  
Chloe shrugged in confusion. She felt chills run up her spine, and her stomach started to turn. "I... I don't know, Phillip. My stomach feels strange all of a sudden."  
  
"Was it the food?"  
  
Chloe shook her head. "I don't think so. I didn't eat anything that I don't normally eat. It just hit me all of a sudden, whatever it is. Maybe I'm coming down with something..."  
  
Phillip stroked the back of her neck gently, trying to comfort her. "Well, I was going to take you for a walk by the river, but I guess I'll just take you home now. Unless you need to go to the hospital..."  
  
"No, no. Just take me home... it's not that bad. Besides, I live with a doctor... Craig will take care of whatever it is."  
  
Phillip nodded and kissed her on the forehead. "No problem. We'll just make it an early night then..."  
  
Chloe nodded slowly and rested her head on the seat as Phillip drove off. She laid one hand on her stomach and closed her eyes. Chloe felt guilty for cutting their date short, but at this point all she wanted was to go home and lay down. They reached her house in record time, and when Phillip stopped the car, she looked at him weakly and forced a smile.  
  
"I'm sorry for ruining our date..."  
  
"Don't be sorry, just feel better. Do you want me to help you upstairs?"  
  
Chloe shook her head and opened the car door. "No, I'll be fine... thank you."  
  
Phillip smiled reassuringly and kissed her on the forehead again. "Call me if you need anything."  
  
Chloe got of the car slowly and replied, "I will... thank you."   
  
She shut the door and slowly made her way up the front steps. Nancy and Craig were nowhere to be found, so she padded her way upstairs and into her bedroom. She stood in front of her mirror and gazed at her reflection. Just as Phillip said, the color had drained out of her face and she looked ill. Strangely enough, her stomachache had started to go away, but she still didn't feel quite right. She closed her eyes for a moment, but instead of seeing blackness, her mind was rocked with a strange vision. She saw Jan's face looking into a mirror, her face was scratched and bruised and she had a gauze bandage wrapped around her head. She saw more images of someone's funeral, and a car twisted and broken in a heap. Chloe jumped backwards and her hand flew to her temples, she didn't know if she was having some sort of vision, but it had scared her.  
  
She ran to her phone and quickly dialed the number of Jan's cell phone. Jan answered after only one ring.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Jan... Are you okay?"  
  
"Uhhhh... Who is this?"  
  
"It's Chloe, are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, Ghoul Girl... I'm fine. How the hell did you get the number to my cell phone?"  
  
Chloe paused, she had never known Jan's number before, but dialed it like she had. "I don't know how I got the number. I just knew that I had to call you for some reason."  
  
"Well, whatever it is... It better be important."  
  
Chloe didn't know where these thoughts were coming from, but she spoke them anyway. "Don't get the car tonight. Don't go anywhere with Jason. Don't let him drive AT ALL. If you do.... something bad is going to happen, something REALLY bad."  
  
"Right... and you know all of this because? Oh yeah, because you're a witch and you used your crystal ball to see the future. Come on, Chloe... you're wasting your time."  
  
Chloe groaned in frustration. "First off, witches don't use crystal balls. Secondly, I don't know what to tell you, but you have to listen to me. I had some sort of vision, and now... I know things. I know that you have a teddy bear, and you named him Henry when you were little. I also know that you have a scar on the bottom of your foot because you stepped on a rock in the back yard when you were eight. I know a lot of things that I couldn't possibly know, so you HAVE to believe me."  
  
"Chloe... you are REALLY starting to freak me out. I don't know how you got this information, but you're scaring me."  
  
"I don't know either, and I'm just as scared as you are about it. You just HAVE to promise me not to get into a car tonight. Please. PROMISE me."  
  
"Fine, fine, I promise I won't get into a car tonight. Now, you promise that you'll lose this number and never call me again."  
  
Chloe breathed a sigh of relief and hoped that Jan wasn't just pulling her leg so she would shut up. "Believe me, I have no intention of calling you ever again."  
  
"Good, keep it that way."   
  
The phone clicked as Jan hung up, and Chloe took a deep calming breath. Her fear had caused sweat to bead up on her forehead and she used the back of her hand to wipe it away. She walked to the closet shakily and changed into her winter pajamas. After throwing her dress on the back of her chair, she laid down on the bed and closed her eyes. Her stomachache had subsided completely and she was now starting to feel better all over. She was just thinking about pulling the covers over herself and attempting to sleep when she heard three tapping noises at her window.  
  
Chloe stood from the bed and went to the window. She opened it and peered outside into the cold, dark night air. "Helloooooo... is there somebody out there?"  
  
Brady's smiling face peered back at her and he shouted up, "Yeah, Chloe... it's me. I saw the light on, so I figured you weren't sleeping."  
  
Chloe looked surprised. "Brady? What the heck are you doing here?"  
  
"I need to talk to you. It's important."  
  
Chloe sighed and nodded. "Alright, stay right there. I'll be right down."  
  
Chloe grabbed her jacket and a pair of slippers and headed to the yard. Brady was sitting in a lawn chair with his fingers intertwined, nervously tapping one foot. She sat in a chair next to him and gently kicked his nervous foot with her own.   
  
"Hey there, you look nervous or something."  
  
Brady looked at her feet, adorned in a pair of pink fuzzy slippers. "Nice slippers, very nice."  
  
"You shush. They keep my feet warm... So what's up? Why am I out on my lawn in the middle of January?"  
  
Brady fidgeted nervously in his seat. "I need to talk to you."  
  
Chloe raised both eyebrows curiously. "About what?"  
  
"I uhhh... I don't know."  
  
Chloe groaned softly. "You don't know? Brady, if this is some kind of a joke, I'm REALLY not in the mood for it. It's been a rough night and I'd much rather be upstairs in my bed where it's warm and cozy."  
  
"Well, I know what it is I want to talk about. I just don't know if I should. I came over here to tell you something, and now I'm not so sure I can go through with it."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Brady nervously ran a hand through his blonde hair. "I don't think it's something you want to know. I don't want to hurt you, and I don't want to upset you so now I'm thinking I just won't say it. I don't want to destroy our friendship because of what i'm going to say."  
  
Chloe wrinkled her forehead in confusion. "Brady, you're kind of scaring me. Whatever it is, it can't be that bad. I can't think of anything you could say that would ruin our friendship. Maybe if you said that were a psychotic serial killer or maybe if you said..."  
  
"I love you..."  
  
Chloe nearly fell out of her chair and gaped at him in complete shock. "Oh. Oh. You said THAT..."  
  
Brady cringed, still in disbelief that those words had exited his mouth. "Chloe, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said it."  
  
Chloe paused, trying to accept the reality of it. She shook her head slowly and looked at Brady with complete seriousness. "Did you mean it? You should never say it unless you mean it."  
  
Brady sighed and nodded. "Yes, I do mean it. I don't know when exactly I realized it, but it's definitely the truth. Do you hate me now?"  
  
"No, I could never hate you. The truth is good, the truth is important. It's important that you're honest with me. Honesty is a must."  
  
There was a very long, very awkward pause that followed. Brady was waiting for Chloe to react further, but she just sat there with her arms crossed and her eyes staring at him blankly. He nervously stammered, "So... is that all you're going to say?"  
  
Chloe threw her hands up in confusion. "I don't know. What should I be saying? What do you want me to say?"  
  
"Whatever's on your mind... Say it. I can take it."  
  
"I don't know... my mind is blank. I don't even know what to think or what to feel right now."  
  
Brady nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry, Chloe... I knew this would screw things up. I guess we only have two options now."  
  
"Oh yeah, what are those?"  
  
"We can either forget this happened altogether and go on living like it never did, or you could give me some inkling of hope, tell me that there's a one in a million chance that someday you can feel something for me, something more than friendship. Is that too much to ask?"  
  
Chloe shook her head. "I can't do either of those things. I can't forget what you said. Not many people have said those words to me, so I have a tendency to remember it when it does happen. And, I can't tell you how I feel... It's too complicated. There's Phillip... and... This is very sudden. You have to give me time to think, Brady."  
  
Brady lowered his eyes and sighed softly. "How much time?"  
  
Chloe shrugged. "I don't know. You'd think that this would be easier, that any feelings I may or may not have would just surface immediately. But, it's not working that way. There's too much else involved... It could be a day, a week, a year... I don't know, Brady... you just need to give me some space right now. My head is... spinning."  
  
Brady nodded slowly. "Okay, I'll wait... as long as I have to. I didn't mean to hurt you, I really didn't. I'm sorry."  
  
Chloe looked him square in the eyes and shook her head. She impulsively leaned forward and hugged him tightly. "Don't be sorry. I'm glad you said it, no matter what, I'm glad. Thank you for telling me."  
  
Brady leaned out of the embrace and forced a smile. "Well, I'm going to go now, because I really don't think there's anything I can say to make this better. And, if I stay here any longer, I may say something to make it worse."  
  
Chloe nodded in agreement. "Okay... I'll... I'll call you."  
  
Brady stood and squeezed her hand gently before walking away. She watched him go but remained in her seat, letting the cool wind blow around her. Chloe sat there lost in thought, she cared about Brady a lot, but she didn't know if that could be considered love. Sometimes, she wasn't quite sure what love was, and that's what she had to figure out. She stayed there until she became too cold to stand it anymore. As she walked back inside, Chloe stared at the night sky filled with millions of tiny twinkling stars and felt a strange sense of comfort and familiarity in their presence. She smiled at their beauty and then headed inside to get some rest.  



	23. 3:37 a.m.

Chapter Twenty-Three  
  
Chloe awoke in the middle of the night with a pounding headache. She glanced over at her alarm clock which read 3:37. Chloe groaned quietly and tiptoed into the bathroom next door. Her head was throbbing and sending tiny shooting pains to her eyes. She turned the bathroom light on, but quickly turned it back off when the light hit her eyes. The brightness only made the headache worse. She stumbled in the dark towards the sink and filled a Dixie cup with water. Chloe grabbed a couple of aspirin out of the cabinet and quickly downed them. Her skin was covered in a light layer of sweat, but she felt cold and clammy to the touch.  
  
Chloe tried to step away from the sink and leave the bathroom but she was struck with an enormous wave of dizziness. She used both hands to stabilize herself on the bathroom counter and took deep breaths in to try and calm herself down. Finally, she attempted to walk again but the pain in her head shot through her a hundred times worse than it had before. She fell to the floor and half-leaned against the wall and her eyes fell closed. She loudly cried out in pain as her head felt like it was going to explode.  
  
More visions began to blur her mind, rushing past faster and faster, and most of them involved Brady. She saw them talking on the pier, and in a house that she didn't recognize, figure skating at the outdoor rink and drinking hot chocolate together, together at the Brady Pub, at a high school dance, kissing underneath a skylight with the stars all around them, celebrating at a graduation party, slow dancing in a cottage, hiking in the mountains. Chloe had never experienced something like this before, but she felt the love and intimacy between them in every moment that they shared together. She didn't know if this was a vision of the future, or memories of something else. It felt more like deja vu than something that had yet to happen.  
  
The vision stopped and Chloe opened her eyes, drawing in a deep breath. Tears fell down her face, and she quietly muttered, "Oh my God... what was that? What was I seeing?"  
  
The door to the bathroom opened and a frightened Nancy ran in and kneeled by her side. "Chloe, honey... are you okay? I heard a noise, and then I heard you scream... What happened?"  
  
Chloe put a hand to her forehead and tried to stabilize herself. "I... I don't know. I got dizzy and I fell. I must have blacked out for a second."  
  
Nancy took the cup on the counter and filled it with more water, handing it to Chloe. "Here, sip this."  
  
Chloe looked at Nancy for a moment and then hugged her tightly. "Oh, Nancy... I missed you. I'm so glad to see you."  
  
Nancy leaned out of the hug and gave Chloe a strange look. "Chloe... you just saw me earlier today. Are you okay?"  
  
"I know, it just feels like... like I haven't seen you in months. I'm not crazy, just a little disoriented."  
  
"It's alright, just drink the water while I go get Craig."  
  
Chloe nodded weakly and took a sip of the water. "Thank you..."  
  
Nancy left quickly, and Chloe pulled herself up all the way, her back against the bathroom wall. She sipped the water again and licked her dry lips. Her headache was beginning to subside, although it was still pounding away, and she still felt quite shaky. Moments later, Nancy & Craig came in. Craig was carrying a black medical bag in one hand. He sat on the floor beside her and started pulling a few instruments out of the bag.  
  
"Tell me what happened, Chloe... from the beginning."  
  
Chloe nodded and spoke hoarsely. "I wasn't feeling well earlier either. Phillip said I looked pale, and I had a stomachache. I came home, and it went away. And, then I went to bed and woke up with a really awful headache. So, I came in here and took some aspiring and it just kept pounding and pounding. When I tried to walk out, I got dizzy. I stopped and leaned on the counter for a while, and when I tried again the headache got about a million times worse. I fell and must have blacked out for a second."  
  
Craig nodded and checked her eyes, her heart, her temperature and her blood pressure. "How do you feel now?"  
  
Her head had stopped pounding over the course of his quick examination, and she was actually feeling much better. "Mostly tired. My headache is gone. I feel fine, actually."  
  
Craig paused and raised an eyebrow. "Weird... All your vitals are just fine, and now you feel great all of a sudden. I can't really explain that."  
  
"Craig, when your doctor tells you that your case is 'weird' and he 'can't really explain it'... That's a bad thing, right?"  
  
Craig chuckled and shook his head. "Not necessarily. It just means that whatever happened seemed pretty momentary. You might be coming down with the flu or something."  
  
Chloe groaned and wrinkled her nose up in disgust. "Blech... Flu..."  
  
"For now, just go back to bed and get some sleep. I want you to come to the hospital tomorrow though, for a complete check up. Just in case. Okay?"  
  
Chloe nodded and smiled weakly. "You got it."  
  
Craig smiled back at her. "That's my girl..."  
  
"So, Craig... can I ask you a serious question?"  
  
Craig looked somewhat surprised. "Uhm... okay, go ahead."  
  
"Do all doctors in the 21st century STILL carry these nifty little bags? Or is it just you?"  
  
Craig laughed out loud. "Hey, I got this as a gift when I made Chief of Staff, and I figured I might as well put it to good use."  
  
Chloe nodded and grinned at him. "Okay, because I thought only TV doctors owned those things."  
  
Nancy had been standing in the doorway and chuckled softly. "Well, now I KNOW that you're feeling better. Come on, I'll help you back to your room."  
  
Chloe nodded and smiled at her mother. "Okay... sorry I woke everyone up and scared you all half to death."  
  
Nancy and Craig helped her off the floor together and Nancy smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. That's what we're here for."  
  
Craig headed back to the master bedroom while Chloe leaned on Nancy and headed back to her bedroom. Chloe slipped back under the covers and smiled sleepily at Nancy. "Thanks..."  
  
Nancy walked towards the door and turned back briefly to reply, "Sleep tight, Chloe. I'll see you in the morning."  
  
Chloe wrapped her blankets around her and closed her eyes tightly. She tried to explain to herself what had happened tonight, but she just couldn't find a logical or rational explanation for her visions. She wondered if it was perhaps something her imagination had created after hearing Brady profess his love earlier in the night. Then again, not even her usually vivid imagination could create something as real as this. Not only had Chloe seen these moments with Brady play out in her head, but she ha experienced them. She could still taste his lips on hers, feel his arms around her, and she knew what it would be like for him to hold her tightly. More importantly, she could feel his love in her own heart. Whatever had caused those visions had also caused her to know what it would be like to truly experience Brady's love.  
  
Chloe rolled on to her other side and groaned in frustration. She tried to put it out of her mind, but a new realization had been begun creeping through her veins. Those visions weren't just about being loved by Brady, they were about what it would be like to love him back. Chloe shuddered slightly, she was afraid of facing the feelings that she had experienced in her visions. She had always thought that she would be with Phillip forever, but the experience of being with Brady, even if only in visions, was unlike anything she had ever known before.  
  
Chloe sighed softly and tried to clear her mind, but instead of falling asleep with no thoughts at all, she fell asleep with thoughts of Brady in her head. As she drifted off to sleep, she silently prayed that all of her confusion would magically disappear with morning's light.  
*** 


	24. Common Ground

Chapter Twenty-Four  
  
(Next morning. Salem University Hospital.)  
  
Chloe sat in an exam room and nervously kicked her heels against the exam table as she waisted for Craig to finish going over to her chart. Craig looked up from the chart and smiled at her, "Good news..."  
  
Chloe grinned at him. "So, I have more than 6 months to live?"  
  
"Absolutely. There's nothing wrong with you. And as long as that head of yours continues to feel good, I don't see any reason for more tests or anything."  
  
Chloe smiled and hopped off of the exam table. "Yay. I'm so glad to hear that. You know how I hate getting poked with needles, even if you did give me a Winnie the Pooh band aid."  
  
Craig grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Wellllll... I was all out of the regular kind. Anyway, Nancy is in my office, she'll drive you home after she's done with her scheduling."  
  
Chloe grabbed her purse off the counter and shook her head. "Nahhh, tell her not to worry about me. I've got a couple things to do today. But, thanks."  
  
"No problem... And, if by any chance that headache comes back, call me immediately."  
  
Chloe walked to the door and opened it. "I will..."   
  
She waved goodbye to Craig and headed down the hallway, passing the waiting room. A voice from behind her called out, "Chloe?"  
  
Chloe turned quickly and saw Jan standing in the waiting area. She looked like she had been up all night crying, and hadn't slept at all. Chloe walked back and stood in front of her. "Jan? Are you okay?"  
  
Jan nodded, trying to hide the pain that was evident in her eyes. "Yeah, I'm okay. But... Listen, Chloe... I don't know what kind of magic tricks you have up your sleeves, or whatever... but, thank you."  
  
Chloe raised both eyebrows in surprise. "What?"  
  
Jan looked at her with complete sincerity and it was the first time that Chloe could recall seeing her be genuine. "I said, thank you. You really freaked me out last night, and I didn't want to believe it. Jason was with me when you called, and he was drinking. I didn't get in the car with him like you said... And... I tried to stop him but..."  
  
Jan broke into tears and put a hand on her forehead. Chloe instinctively placed her hand on Jan's arm to comfort her. "What is it, Jan? What happened?"  
  
Jan spoke through her tears. "He drove home... I told him not to. I even tried to take his keys, but he wouldn't listen to me. He... drove the car off the road, he hit a tree..."  
  
Chloe gasped in shock. "Oh my God... Is he going to be okay?"  
  
Jan crossed her arms and shrugged sadly. "I don't know... I mean, they said that he'll probably make it. As long as things don't get any worse. But..." Jan paused again and her voice wavered even more, "... he might not walk again. I don't know, they're waiting to see if the swelling goes down."  
  
Chloe put her hand over her mouth. "Oh Jan... I'm so sorry."  
  
Jan tried to speak but the sobs were coming down harder. Chloe figured that she had nobody to turn to most of the time, and instinctively hugged her. She let Jan sob into her shoulder until her breathing slowed and the sobs subsided. Not once did Chloe think how strange it was to be comforting her worst enemy, the thought would only come to her much later.  
  
Jan stepped back and wiped the tears off of her face. "Chloe... you saved my life."  
  
"I... I don't know about that."  
  
Jan shook her head vehemently. "No, you did. The police, and Jason's dad... they saw the car, they told me that there was no way I would have survived if I had been with him. It's a miracle enough that Jason is alive, but YOU saved me. I don't know how you did it, but thank you... I'm so glad you did."  
  
Chloe was amazed. She wasn't sure where her visions were coming from, but at least one good thing had come out of them. "Jan, I don't know how it happened either. I can't explain it in a way that will make any sense. I just feel bad because I couldn't help Jason too."  
  
Jan sat down with a sigh and Chloe sat in the chair beside her. "No, Chloe... it's my fault. I should have done more, I should have done everything I could to stop him. This is my fault."  
  
"You can't blame yourself. I'm sure you tried your best. Blaming yourself isn't going to help him. You have to have hope. He'll get through this. Jason is young and strong and healthy, he's got a really good chance of recovering from his injuries because he is so strong. Just have faith, and be strong. He'll be okay... and so will you."  
  
Jan nodded slowly. "I hope you're right... You just HAVE to be right. I don't know what I'll do if he's not okay. He's the only person I've got, Chloe. He's the only person who even cares that I exist."  
  
"You know... now is not the time for me to be making judgments on your character. But, I'm just telling you that if you open yourself up to people, you're not always going to get stepped on. People will care about you, if you let them. I know that you've had a lot of pain in your life, and you feel like nobody loves. I used to feel the same way, but then I opened up to people, let them in and now I don't feel that way anymore. Love and friendship isn't always a bad thing that makes you hurt, sometimes it can be really wonderful."  
  
"I wish that were true..." Jan frowned sadly.  
  
Chloe looked at her curiously. "Jan, tell me something... do you LOVE Jason?"  
  
Jan looked down at her feet and sighed. "I think I do. I didn't realize it before, because well, he's far from perfect... In fact, he's pretty much a pain in the ass... but despite that, I do love him. Only I just realized it last night, when I thought I was going to lose him."  
  
Chloe nodded stoically. "Then tell him... You have to tell him as soon as you can. Life is too short not to."  
  
"And if he doesn't love me back? What if he's just using me?"  
  
"I don't think you have anything to worry about... he may not realize it either, just like you... but I'm sure he does love you. You just have to be open to it, be capable of loving and being loved, and you will be."  
  
Jan nodded and smiled weakly at Chloe. "I never thought I'd say this in a million years, but... Chloe, you may be right."  
  
Chloe shrugged and smiled back at her. "I don't claim to have all the answers. I just hope I can help a little bit."  
  
"You have. But, why do you want to help me?  
  
"I don't know. I certainly have no reason to want to help you... but I think that somewhere deep down you're a good person, you just need someone to recognize that. Listen, if you really just need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on... I guess you can call me. See, there's something I never thought I would say. We're even now."  
  
"Thank you... I mean that."  
  
Chloe smiled and nodded. "I know you do. And, if it makes you feel better you can feel free to go back to hating my guts after this is all over."  
  
Jan shook her head and looked at the floor. "I don't think I will... Maybe I misjudged you... maybe I misjudged myself."  
  
Chloe raised both eyebrows and smirked, "MAYBE? You know, I'm not such a bad person once you get to know me."  
  
Jan nodded and replied, "Well, I am. I'm a pretty rotten person."  
  
"Yes, but you're not without hope. At least you recognize that you're rotten. That's the first step to getting help, they say."  
  
Jan rolled her eyes and chuckled softly. "Maybe there is a twelve step program for bitches."  
  
Chloe nodded. "And, I'm the founding member. I've had my own 'issues' too, just like you. I'm still working on them."  
  
Jan stood and pointed towards the elevator. "I'm going to go upstairs, maybe they'll let me see Jason now... I have to tell him... you know."  
  
Chloe stood and nodded knowingly. "I know. Good luck with that."  
  
"Thanks... uhm, could you tell Phillip and the others what happened. I'm sure they'd want to know, they've all known Jason for a long time."  
  
"Of course, I'll make sure everybody knows."  
  
Jan smiled weakly and turned towards the elevators. "Thanks Chloe...", she said as she walked away.  
  
Chloe nodded and turned towards the exit doors. She stepped outside and took a walk towards Dot.Com.  
***  
(chapters are short, but I'll try to keep them coming as quick as I can) 


	25. A Break

[Quick note: The Tropical Temptation story happened just like on the show, except for Jan's rape, because ICK. I wish it had never happened in the first place. Pretend that Phillip and Chloe get back together after he wakes up from his coma, since I'm assuming that's what WILL happen on the show. Blech blech blech. I must be patient with the show until Broe bliss ensues.]  
  
Chapter Twenty-Five  
  
(Dot.Com...)  
  
Chloe went to Dot.Com in the hopes that at least one of her friends would be there. She was in luck, as she entered to see Phillip, Belle and Shawn in their usual booth. Chloe walked over and slid into the seat next to Phillip who kissed her quickly on the lips.  
  
"Helloooo everyone."  
  
Phillip looked at her with a wrinkled brow. "Chloe... you didn't call me this morning, so I guess you're feeling better."  
  
Chloe nodded and smiled. "200 percent better actually. But, I have some bad news..."  
  
Belle and Shawn looked at her intently and Phillip held her hand in his. Chloe sighed and her smile faded. "I was at the hospital and I ran into Jan."  
  
Shawn nodded and half grinned. "Well, that's always bad news."  
  
"No, this is REAL bad news. Jason was in a car accident last night, he was drinking and he drove his car off the road and into a tree."  
  
The group fell silent in shock. Belle let out a small gasp and spoke first, "Is he going to be okay?"  
  
Chloe shrugged sadly. "Well, Jan told me he's going to make it as long as he stays stable... but uhm, he may never walk again. They're waiting for all the swelling to go down to see if he's paralyzed.  
  
Phillip slid down in his seat, completely in shock. "I can't believe it... Was he alone?"  
  
Chloe nodded. "Thankfully... Jan refused to get in the car with him, and it saved her life. She feels awful, she tried to stop him but it was impossible."  
  
Shawn shook his head in disbelief. "How's Jan holding up?"  
  
"Well, besides the blame... not too good. She's not handling it all too well, but I talked to her, and I think I made her feel a little better."  
  
Belle's eyes widened. "You talked to her? And you two didn't kill each other? What is this world coming to?"  
  
"I don't know. I think we may have found some common ground, at least for a moment. But don't worry, we'll probably go back to pulling each other's hair out after all this is over."  
  
Phillip looked at her curiously. "Why were YOU at the hospital? I thought you said you were feeling better."  
  
Chloe smiled uneasily. "I am feeling better. I wasn't last night though. The stomachache went away, but then the headaches came. I got up in the middle of the night and the headache ended up making me black out. It woke up Nancy and Craig, and then it went away suddenly. But, Craig still made me come in for a full check up."  
  
Belle frowned slightly. "Are you're sure you're okay? A migraine that makes you black out isn't really a common thing."  
  
"Oh, I'm fine. Craig couldn't find anything wrong with me, and by the time I got up this morning it was like it never happened. I feel better than ever, actually."  
  
Shawn looked at Belle and clasped her hand in his. "Maybe we should go to the hospital and check on Jason. You think?"  
  
Belle nodded in agreement. "Definitely... Phillip, you want to go?"  
  
Chloe interjected and glanced at Phillip. "Actually, I kinda need to talk to you about something. We can wait until after you go to the hospital, if you want... it doesn't matter."  
  
Phillip paused to consider and then looked at Belle. "Uhm, I guess I'll meet up with you guys in a little bit. I'll head over as soon as I'm done here."  
  
Belle and Shawn slid out of the booth. Shawn nodded towards Phillip, "No problem, we'll see you there."  
  
Shawn walked out with his arm around Belle, and Chloe shifted herself in her seat so she could look at Phillip better. Phillip placed a gentle hand on her knee and looked somewhat worried. "Chloe... is there something wrong?"  
  
Chloe fidgeted nervously in her seat. "I don't know actually... I'm not even sure what I came here to say to you, I just feel like we HAVE to talk. Let me ask you something, and think about it really hard. Ever since... you know, the thing at the dance with the website... how do you think our relationship has been?"  
  
"I think it's been fine. It's been great."  
  
Chloe put a hand up as if she was stopping him. "No, stop. Be honest with yourself. Dig down deep if you have to, but be honest. How would you describe our relationship since we got back together?"  
  
Phillip sighed and looked downward. "Different. But our relationship has never been perfect."  
  
"No, it was too perfect at first. But ever since the thing with your father, and then the website... it's been different."  
  
"Chloe, I'm confused... what are you trying to say? Do you not love me anymore?"  
  
Chloe shook her head and placed her hand on his. "No, I do... That's not what I'm saying at all. I just think... that neither of us have any idea of what we're doing, or where we're headed."  
  
Phillip shrugged his shoulders in confusion. "Isn't that part of the fun?"  
  
"Not anymore. How much fun are we really having anymore? We fight all the time, Phillip. It's like, when things are good they're great, but when they're not they are completely terrible."  
  
"Couples fight, Chloe. It's nothing to panic over."  
  
Chloe sighed in frustration. "I know, couples fight, that's what they do. Our fights aren't like other fights. They're awful, and mean and hateful. The things that you said to me, I've tried to get over them, but I can't. I've tried so hard to put it out of my mind, but I can't help thinking that if you really love someone you would NEVER say those kind of things to them. And... if you can't trust me, or believe in me, than it's NEVER going to get better. I got back together with you because you apologize for what happened at the dance, and because I love you. But, that doesn't change the fact that you're still acting the same way that you did before. You still don't trust me."  
  
Phillip wrinkled his forehead and looked at her intently. "I DO trust you. I've told you that."  
  
"No... you don't. When you came back from Puerto Rico, you were mad at me, and you were jealous of Brady. You didn't trust me to be away from you for one second and you still don't. It took a lot of convincing for you to finally believe that nothing happened with Brady while you were gone. You still don't trust me, even now."  
  
Phillip sighed and looked downward. "I was afraid to lose you, that's why I acted that way."  
  
"Phillip, acting that way only makes losing me a reality."  
  
"I'm sorry... You're right..."  
  
Chloe sighed and nodded slowly. "Phillip... what does love mean to you? Because I'm trying to figure out what that word means to me."  
  
Phillip bit his lip nervously and looked her in the eye. "I don't know. I guess there's different kinds of love, right? I mean, I love my parents... but not the same way that I love you or the same way that I love my friends."  
  
"What about unconditional love? Do you think it exists?"  
  
Phillip shrugged. "I don't know. Parents love their children unconditionally... but maybe that's the only case."  
  
Chloe shook her head. "See, I disagree. I think that TRUE love is unconditional. My theory is that if you truly love someone, you love every part of them, the bad and the good. And, you'd never try to change them or make them be somebody they're not."  
  
  
"What are you trying to say? That I don't love you unconditionally?"  
  
Chloe squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She nodded slightly and let a few hot tears rolled down her cheeks. Chloe opened her eyes and saw the shock on Phillip's face. "I'm sorry, Phillip... I don't want to hurt you. But, I just don't think that you do..."  
  
Phillip's blue eyes were filled with pain. "But, I do love you, Chloe..."  
  
"And I love you... But, I'm just now realizing where our problems lie. You either want to completely ignore my faults, or blow them up like they're going to cause the end of the world. You can't do either, you have to accept them. You have to be able to accept me, all of me... not just the parts that you want to."  
  
Phillip sighed sadly, "I thought I was doing that..."  
  
"No, you weren't. You were intrigued with me because I was different, and unusual. And then there was that damn red dress... That's what really made you pay attention. What if you had won that bet? What if I had gone to the dance with Shawn instead? What if I had not worn that stupid dress and dressed all in black?"  
  
"I would have still fallen in love with you..."  
  
Chloe shook her head. "No, I don't think you would have. You would have never paid enough attention to me to get to know me. I would have still been Ghoul Girl to you, the weirdo, the freak."  
  
"No, because now I know that it's what is on the inside that matters. I've changed, I'm not like that anymore."  
  
Chloe groaned in frustration. "You've changed NOW, Phillip. But, even after you started dating me... you still judged people by their 'image'. I heard you call Susan names to her face, the same thing with Kevin and Penny. You don't do that anymore, but that only changed because of that school trip. You only paid attention to the inner me because of the way I looked on the outside. So, even though you've learned to judge someone by their inner beauty now, you fell in love with me for the wrong reasons."  
  
Phillip raised one eyebrow in confusion. "Is there such a thing as falling in love for the wrong reason?"  
  
"I don't know... that's what I'm trying to figure out. But, it feels like you've never gotten to really know what goes on inside my head or my heart most of the time. You know a lot about me, but you've never bothered to find out what really makes me tick."  
  
Phillip slumped in his seat and threw his hands up in frustration. "I'm confused..."  
  
Chloe nodded in agreement. "Me too... I don't know how to even describe what I'm feeling, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you... but, I just think that you and I are on VERY different wavelengths. You still have a lot of growing up to do..."  
  
"And you don't?"  
  
"Oh no, I do, not to mention the years of therapy I'll probably need... And, I think that we're both too young and inexperienced to even know what we're doing half of the time. I think I'm finally beginning to see that. You know, we always act like we're the perfect couple... but I feel like I'm just pretending to be the perfect girlfriend to make everyone else happy. I just want to be me."  
  
Phillip sat back up and nodded in her direction. "Well, I get part of that. Maybe other people should stop looking at us as an example of the perfect couple. Maybe they should look at Shawn and Belle."  
  
Chloe nodded and sighed. "Yeah, those two have it figured out."  
  
"Chloe... is this just about the way I feel? How do you feel about me?"  
  
"No, it's not all about that. Because frankly, I don't understand you either. You've never let me in all the way, and I think it's because part of you doesn't want to. So, I'm not blaming you for all of this. It's my fault too. I've never pushed you to tell me all your secrets and your heartaches, and your hopes and dreams. And, it's not because I don't care... I just... never thought to. And that's a really terrible thing to do to you."  
  
Phillip nodded slowly, a bit of understanding seemed to finally be creeping in. "So is there any hope for us at all? Maybe if we promised to be more open and communicate with each other, we can work this out."  
  
"I don't know... maybe there is. But, I think we need to back off for a while. Take a break..."  
  
Phillip sighed softly. "Break up?"  
  
Chloe paused and nervously replied, "Well, I uhh... I hate to call it a 'break up'. I just think our relationship needs to cool off. I don't want to lose you entirely. I want to be friends, and I want to get to know you better. Things with us happened so fast and furious, it was like a huge whirlwind, and we never bothered to be friends first. We just skipped ahead REALLY fast. I think if a relationship is going to work, you have to be friends with the other person, not just lovers, or significant others. I mean, honestly, Belle... and..." Chloe paused. She didn't want to mention Brady at this juncture, not when she wasn't completely sure about how she felt for him. "And other friends... they know things about me that you don't. And, not because I wasn't willing to tell you, but because you never bothered to find out. I'm sure they could say the same for you, they probably know you better than I do."  
  
Phillip nodded stoically; his pain had faded into acceptance. He knew that Chloe was strong willed and if she wanted something, nothing he could say would stop her. "Okay, I understand... So, what does this mean?"  
  
Chloe gave him a half grin. "I don't know. I'm kind of making this up as I go along."  
  
Phillip rolled his eyes and smirked. "Oh great. That makes me feel so much better."  
  
"Really... honestly... I just knew that something was eating away at me, but I didn't know what it was until I said it out loud."  
  
"I think I know the feeling... I'm usually the oblivious one. So, where do we go from here? Friends?"  
  
Chloe nodded affirmatively. "Definitely... I mean, if you didn't want to be my friend, then I wouldn't know what to do. I think we just need a few months to JUST be friends. And, then we can decide later... if there's a reason to go further with this. I just feel like we need some time apart. I need to remember what it's like to just be Chloe, and you need to figure out what it's like to be just Phillip. It's like, neither of us have a identity without the other person. Heck, people could probably stop calling us Phillip and Chloe, and just blend it together into one name."  
  
Phillip cracked a smile and raised one eyebrow. "Like... Phloe?"  
  
Chloe laughed and nodded. "Something like that. I know, it sounds ridiculous... But, do you see what I'm saying? We need some time apart in a non-couple sense to find out if we can exist without each other. Then we just go from there..."  
  
"How's that old cliche go? If you love someone, set them free, if they come back to you, they're yours forever. If they don't..."  
  
Chloe continued his sentence, "...then it was never meant to be. Right, something like that."  
  
Phillip nodded slowly. "I think I can accept that."  
  
Chloe looked at him with a touch of surprise. "You know, Phillip... you're really handling this much better than I expected."  
  
Phillip shrugged at grinned at her, "Maybe it's a sign of things to come... Gotta grow up at some point."  
  
"Not a bad idea... I think I'll try that growing up thing too."  
  
Phillip hugged her tightly and softly spoke into her ear. "I think you're already closer than I am."  
  
Chloe looked him in the eyes and smiled sweetly. "Thank you... I don't know if that's true, but thanks."  
  
Phillip nodded and stood from the booth. "I think I'm going to go to the hospital and see Jason now. You wanna go?"  
  
Chloe stood and shook her head. "No, I have something I have to do. Call me later though, let me know how he's doing."  
  
"You got it."   
  
Phillip smiled at her and exited, leaving Chloe alone. She hesitantly pulled her cell phone out of her purse and slowly dialed the seven numbers to Brady's cell phone. She took a deep breath and waited for him to answer.  
*** 


	26. A Chance

Chapter Twenty-Six  
  
Chloe sat in the same booth at Dot.Com sipping her drink. She had only told Brady that they had needed to talk, and it was his suggestion that he come to her. Chloe had decided to fill the waiting time by checking her e-mail on the computer at the booth. She logged in and had one new message, so she clicked on it and read:  
  
"Chloe,  
Doing good. You're on the right path now, kiddo. Don't be afraid of the visions, they aren't what you think."  
-K"  
  
Chloe sat back in surprise. She checked the sender and it only said 'unknown', and that it had been sent a mere 25 minutes ago, right after Phillip had left. Chloe wracked her brain to figure out who the "K" was, and why they would know about her visions. The only "K" she could think of was Kevin, and she was fairly sure that he didn't even know her new e-mail address. Chloe closed her mailbox and sat back, trying to think of other people with an initial "K", and for some reason the name Keyes instantly sprung to her mind.  
  
Chloe frowned and muttered to herself, "But, I don't know anyone named Keyes."  
  
Chloe sat back and sighed, taking another sip of her latte. Brad entered and sat across from her in the booth. "Hey there, why the long face?"  
  
"Do you know anybody whose name starts with K?"  
  
Brady paused and looked up, thinking about all the people he knows. "Uhm... Phillip's mom? Kate?"  
  
Chloe shook her head. "No, that wouldn't make any sense. What about someone named Keyes? Does that ring a bell?"  
  
Brady shrugged in confusion. "No... Should it?"  
  
"I don't know... I just got a weird e-mail, and it was just signed with a K. I know it's not Kevin, and the first name that popped into my head was Keyes. Only... I don't know anybody named Keyes."  
  
"What did the e-mail say?"  
  
Chloe waved the subject away with one hand motion. "Never mind, it's complicated. Plus, it's not the reason why I asked you to meet me."  
  
Brady nodded and grinned slyly at her. "Yeah... so why DID you need to talk to me?"  
  
"It's about last night..."  
  
Brady groaned softly. "Oh, that... You want me to take it back, don't you?"  
  
Chloe shook her head vehemently. "No, I don't... I just want to ask you something. You said that you meant what you said, and I want to know how you know. When did you figure this out, Brady?"  
  
"When did I figure out that I loved you? Or when did I actually fall in love with you? Because that is two completely different occurrences."  
  
"Both. Please."  
  
"Well, I uhhh..." Brady looked around at the other customers milling about. "Can we go somewhere a little less filled with people? I don't know if I want to talk about this here."  
  
Chloe nodded and stood. "Of course... I wasn't even thinking... let's go outside."  
  
Brady followed her outside and they sat together on a bench in front of the building. Brady looked around to make sure nobody was nearby, and decided to continue. "Chloe... I fell in love with you the first time I met you. I can hardly put it into words how or why it happened, but there's always been a connection between us. I feel like I understand you, and I think you understand me better than anyone has before. I didn't realize it way back then, but one day maybe 4 or 5 months after we met it just came right up and hit me right between the eyes. I saw you one day, and you were just coming down the stairs at the penthouse and instead of thinking to myself 'Hey, there's Belle's friends', the only thought that came to mind was how much I love you."  
  
"And that's why you've picked on me so much? Because you love me?"  
  
Brady shook his head vehemently and placed his hand on hers. "Chloe... I'm sorry for all the times that I have picked on you. I really never meant to hurt you."  
  
Chloe looked away from him. "You didn't... I'm strong, Brady... I can take most everything that you dish out."  
  
"I know, you're the only one who ever dished it right back out at me. But, I never said those things to hurt you or cause you pain. I did it to challenge you. I wanted to force you into seeing what an amazing person you are, and how much potential for greatness you have inside of you."  
  
Chloe turned back to him and smiled weakly. "Well, you sure have a funny way of compliment someone. But thank you, I think maybe that's what you did. When you picked on my singing, it only made me want to be better. When you picked on me, I only wanted to prove you wrong."  
  
Brady smiled proudly. "That's all I wanted. Believe me, I wasn't trying to change you or make you be something you're not. I just wanted to show you that it was okay to show all those things about you that nobody ever sees."  
  
"So you weren't trying to change me or fix me?"  
  
"No, why would I want to do that? I love you, just as you are."   
  
Chloe looked at him with a bit of surprise, she paused and her eyes begin to tear up. "Really? Just as I am?"  
  
"I would never wanted to change you, I just wanted everyone to be able to see what I see in you. You hide so much of yourself from the world, and I wanted to push you into showing the real you to everyone. That's what all that 'sing with feeling' stuff came from. You were afraid to pour your emotions out through your music, and I wanted you to be able to. Music is one of the greatest forms of self-expression, you just have to open yourself up to it. I just wanted you to see how far you could soar if you would only spread your wings."  
  
Chloe nodded and smiled at him. "Wow... that's really... beautiful."  
  
Brady grinned proudly. "Yeah, I'm thinking of changing careers to be a writer for Hallmark greeting cards."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Please let's not ruin this moment with sarcasm."  
  
"I'm not being sarcastic, I'm completely serious. Those people must make good money..."  
  
"Braaaady..."  
  
"Okay, I'm sorry."  
  
Chloe smiled slightly and continued her questioning, "Brady... do you happen to believe in unconditional love?"  
  
Brady didn't even hesitate to think about it, and blurted out. "Of course I do. My father loves me unconditionally. No matter what terrible thing I've done, and I've done plenty of them, he still loves me the same as he did the day before. The same with Belle... she loves me unconditionally, and I feel the same way about her."  
  
"But beyond that... beyond unconditional love of a family member?"  
  
"Yes, yes, I do. It's rare that it happens, but that's how I feel about you. Nothing you do will ever make me stop loving you, I accept every piece of you, good and bad. Your imperfections are what make you interesting."  
  
Chloe grinned slightly. "I could say the same for you..."  
  
"Well, I have plenty of them, so I must be VERY interesting. Anyway, Chloe... where is all of this heading? You said last night that you need time to think. I didn't think that 12 hours would do the trick."  
  
Chloe shrugged slightly. "Well, a lot has happened in the past 12 hours. Jason Welles was in a car accident last night, he may be paralyzed."  
  
Brady sighed sadly, "That's terrible..."  
  
"I know... but do you want to know something strange?"  
  
"Always."  
  
Chloe paused nervously. She wasn't sure if Brady was the right person to tell about this, but if anyone would understand, maybe it would be him. "Last night, when I got home from my date with Phillip... I had this vision, or something... I don't know what it was. But, I saw in my head, Jan looking injured, and a car accident. So, I called her and begged her not to get into a car last night. Lucky for her, she listened... but Jason wasn't so lucky."  
  
Brady looked at her in amazement. "Are you serious? You had a vision that Jan was going to be in a car accident?"  
  
Chloe nodded. "Yes, basically. And, I probably saved her life. If I hadn't of called her, she would have been in that car with Jason. And... the way the car crashed, she might not have made it. I know it sounds completely unbelievable, and if it wasn't happening to me, I'd NEVER believe it. You know me, I don't believe in any of that psychic friends network, X-Files stuff."  
  
"Wow... And this is the first time something like this has happened to you?"  
  
"Yeah, but that's not all... this is where it gets even more strange. After you left last night, I went upstairs and went to sleep. I woke up at like 3:30 in the morning and my head hurt so bad, I thought it was going to fall off or something. So, I went in the bathroom to take some aspirin and I blacked out."  
  
Brady looked at her with concern and squeezed her hand gently. "Oh my God... are you okay?"  
  
Chloe nodded and continued, "Yeah, I'm fine now. But, that's not the worst part. When I fainted or whatever, I had more visions or whatever you want to call them. But, these didn't feel like I was predicting the future or something, it felt like something that had already happened."  
  
"So, it was memories?"  
  
"It felt like memories, but it's nothing that's ever happened in my life."  
  
Brady raised both eyebrows curiously. "Memories of what?"  
  
Chloe sighed softly. "Of you... Of us together. Not as friends, as something more. More intimate... if you know what I mean."  
  
"And you're sure they're not some sort of vision of the future?"  
  
"I think, yeah... I mean, I wasn't just seeing these images. I was feeling them. I can still remember what they felt like now. I felt what it would be like to be held and kissed by you, and to see the love in your eyes when you look at me."  
  
Brady paused and replied, "But you know what it's like to see the love in my eyes, you've just never noticed it before. I've looked at you that way a hundred times, but you never noticed because you had Phillip and you didn't see me that way."  
  
Chloe licked her dry lips and continued, "I know, Brady. And, I'm sorry for never noticing before... But, there's something else about those visions or memories or whatever they were, something you have to know. I didn't just feel loved, wanted and needed by you... I felt love for you, and yearning, and a sense of safety in your arms. It wasn't one-sided at all... I saw what an easy person you would be to fall in love with."  
  
"What does it all mean to you, then? These visions..."  
  
"Last night, you wanted me to tell you that either we could forget the whole thing happened... or that there is a chance for something to grow between us. That's basically what you said, right?"  
  
Brady nodded and looked downward. "Not word for word, but, yes."  
  
Chloe sighed and put a hand on his shoulder, softly speaking, "I'm telling you... that there's a chance."  
  
Brady looked back up at her with a mixture of surprise and happiness. "Really? There is?  
  
"Yes, there is. All this time, I was too blind to see that you loved me... and I was too wrapped up in my relationship with Phillip to even begin to think that I might feel the same. And, these visions... they made me realize that I have to give it a chance to happen. I feel... something for you, something far more than just a friend. I just need to figure out exactly what I'm feeling."  
  
"And what about Phillip? Where does he fit in?"  
  
Chloe moved her hand away from his shoulder and put in back in her lap. "We talked this morning... about a lot of things. You know, made some clarifications, some discoveries... and now we're on a break."  
  
Brady raised one eyebrow skeptically. "A break? Not a break-up?"  
  
"Right, we need time to just be friends and nothing more, to figure out our place in this world with or without each other... and I need time to figure out where I belong, and who I belong with. I want to give you a chance, Brady... but I also owe Phillip a chance too. He's meant the world to me for a long time, and he's taught me a lot... and I owe our relationship a fair chance."  
  
Brady nodded in acceptance. "I understand... I don't want to hurt Phillip either, that's never been my intention. He's like a brother to me, and that's why I put off telling you my feelings for as long as I did. I didn't to hurt either of you."  
  
Chloe smiled and hugged him tightly. "I know, and thank you for that... I was hoping you would be understanding."  
  
"Understanding is my middle name."  
  
Chloe leaned out of the embrace and chuckled. "I doubt that."  
  
"You're right, it's Victor..."  
  
"Brady, can you promise me something? Promise me that you won't push me while I'm figuring all of this out. If I have to hear you say things like, 'Do you love me yet?', every other day, I'm not going to be happy."  
  
Brady waved his hand with a smirk. "Pshhh... I would never do something like that?"  
  
Chloe raised both eyebrows. "You'd never do something to annoy me? Brady, I think that you were BUILT to annoy me."  
  
"But it's one of my more charming qualities..."  
  
Chloe winked at him. "So sad to say..."  
  
Brady looked at her solemnly and clasped her hand. "Chloe, I PROMISE. I won't push you. We're friends right now, and that's all. I won't bring it up until you're ready to talk about it again. I promise."  
  
Chloe smiled and kissed him gently on the cheek. "Thank you...."  
  
Brady smiled back at her. "You're welcome... So, what do you have going on for the rest of the afternoon?"  
  
Chloe shrugged. "I don't know... Belle, Shawn and Phillip are at the hospital. I need to call Mimi and make sure she knows about Jason. Maybe I'll head over there to meet them, check on Jan..."  
  
"Check on JAN? Since when are you and Jan the best of friends?"  
  
Chloe shook her head vehemently. "Oh, oh, we're not. I just feel bad for her right now... we talked at the hospital this morning, and I think she just needs someone to talk to... If it has to be me, then so be it."  
  
Brady grinned at her. "Ahhh, Chloe Lane... Humanitarian of the Year. So, you want a ride? I'll go with you..."  
  
"Sure... I appreciate that."  
  
Brady stood and lended her a hand up from the bench. "Let's go..."  
  
Chloe followed him to his Jeep, and silently wondered if she even possessed the ability to make the decisions that were ahead of her in the coming weeks or months.  
***  
(TBC) 


	27. Find the Ticklish Spot

Chapter Twenty-Seven  
  
(Three Months Later... Salem High School)  
  
Chloe left her last class and headed out the front doors of the school. Phillip, Belle, Shawn and Mimi were outside already and waiting for her.  
  
"Hey guys... You all got out quick."  
  
Mimi grinned and shook her head. "No, you got out slow. Mrs. Snyder must have really been going on..."  
  
Chloe nodded and continued, "And on, and on, and on... She was on a 'tangent' tangent, if you know what I mean."  
  
Belle giggled and smiled at Chloe. "Ahhh, math puns... gotta love 'em."  
  
"So, what's everybody up to this weekend?"  
  
Jan strode up to them and interjected before anyone could answer, "Coming to my house. I hope."  
  
Phillip looked at her in surprise. "Your house? Why? What's going on?"  
  
"Well, today is Jason's last physical therapy appointment, and he's going to be rid of his cane forever."  
  
Belle smiled widely. "Really? That's the best news I've heard all week... He's made such a great recovery. And way quicker than the doctors said he would."  
  
Shawn grinned and muttered, "Must have had the same physical therapist as Brady."  
  
Belle nodded, "Yes, Brady Black... miracle upon miracles. And, now Jason can join those ranks."  
  
Jan nodded happily. "Right, and that's what is going on this Saturday. My parents are out of town... which is nothing out of the ordinary... But, I thought we'd have a big huge party for Jason's recovery at my house. And you're all invited, and basically anyone else you want to bring."  
  
Mimi clapped her hands together. "Yay... it's been so long since somebody's had a big party... I'm totally up for it."  
  
The rest of the group nodded in agreement. There hasn't been much to celebrate in the past year, but things were going so well right now for everyone that it seemed like a great idea.  
  
Shawn grinned and put an arm around Belle. "I think it sounds like fun. I'll be there. Whaddya say, Belle?"  
  
"Me too."  
  
Chloe chimed in, "Definitely..."  
  
Phillip looked over at his happy, smiling group of friends and nodded. "And if THEY are all going, then I HAVE to go."  
  
Jan smiled proudly. "Good. It's at 8 o'clock at my house, just bring yourselves and promise to have fun."  
  
Jan said goodbye and walked off towards the parking lot. Belle shifted her glance back and forth between Mimi and Chloe. She grinned wickedly and spoke, "You two know what this means, don't you?"  
  
Mimi and Chloe replied in unison, "SHOPPING!"  
  
Phillip rolled his eyes and groaned. "Isn't that what it's ALWAYS about?"  
  
Belle paused thoughtfully and nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. I just can't wear the same thing to every party, you know..."  
  
Shawn nodded and grinned at her. "Right, because that would be... just plain tacky. We couldn't have our little TinkerBelle wearing something that wasn't befitting her royal status."  
  
Belle rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the ribs. "You shush. Shopping isn't just so we can look beautiful... it's all about female bonding. It's like when you guys watch sports together."  
  
Mimi nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly. It gives us a chance to all grow closer together, and if we happen to pick up a new pair of shoes while we're doing it... then who's it going to hurt?"  
  
Phillip grinned and questioned, "Besides your parents' credit cards? Nobody, I guess..."  
  
Chloe nodded in agreement. "Then shopping it is... I'll see you both around noon tomorrow. We can meet at the usual spot."  
  
Belle and Mimi both nodded in agreement, and Belle replied, "Sounds fine to me."  
  
"Cool. Anyway, I gotta go. I promise Nancy I'd clean out my closet and get rid of all the stuff I don't need. Put my winter stuff away."  
  
Mimi cringed at the thought. "Sounds like a blast. Quite a Friday night you have ahead of you."  
  
Chloe shrugged. "No big deal. Didn't have any other plans anyway. I'll see you all tomorrow."  
  
Chloe smiled as they waved her off, and spoke their various 'goodbyes'. She headed home with a sense of impending dread. Staying at home and cleaning her closet certainly wasn't her idea of a good time, but Belle & Shawn were going out on a romantic date, and Mimi had won tickets to a concert and decided to take Phillip since it was his favorite band. Chloe thought about calling Brady, but he had already told her that he was going to be working late tonight. So, tonight it would be Chloe and the mothballs.  
***  
  
(Much later... around 8 or 8:30 p.m.)  
  
Chloe had just finished taking the last load of winter clothes down to the basement for storage. She returned to her room and threw herself on the bed with a sigh. She was now tired, hot and a bit sweaty and mussed up from all that manual labor. She had spent the past 5 hours reorganizing everything in her closet and packing up things to put in storage. Nancy had a strange idea of Spring cleaning, but Chloe obliged just to keep her mom from getting into a tizzy.  
  
There was a gentle tapping at her door and Chloe sat up in surprise. "Uhm... come in?"  
  
The door slowly opened and Brady peered around it and grinned. "Are ya decent?"  
  
"Well, I probably look terrible... but I am fully clothed."  
  
Brady walked all the way in and looked her up and down. "You don't look terrible, you look fine."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes at him. "You're sweet... and a terrible liar too. So what brings you here?"  
  
"I don't know. Didn't have any other plans after work, so I thought I'd stop by and see what my favorite diva was up to. Your mom let me in."  
  
"Oh, well, I'm just finishing up my spring cleaning... God forbid that I wait until Sunday to do it, but no, Nancy wanted it done now. This is MY exciting Friday night."  
  
Brady nodded in understanding. "I thought you'd be out with at least one of the other members of the Saved by the Bell gang tonight."  
  
Chloe shook her head. "Nope, Shawn and your sister have some sort of romantic evening planned. Mimi won tickets to the concert out at the Pavillion, and she's taking Phillip because you know how much he loves the Dave Matthews Band. I think he would have killed her if she took someone else."  
  
Brady chuckled softly. "So it's just you and me, then..."  
  
"Yeah... Did you come straight from work?" Chloe pointed at his clothes. He was dressed in a sharp, gray suit with a blue shirt and tie. She always admired the way Brady looked when he was in a suit, and tonight was no exception.  
  
"No, I went home and changed first, and this was the only thing that was clean..." Brady smirked slightly. "Yes, I came straight here from work."  
  
Chloe grinned. "Well, aren't we a pair. You look like a businessman, and I look like..."  
  
"My maid?"  
  
Chloe cringed and laughed out loud. "Yikes... that bad, huh?"  
  
"No, I'm just kidding..."  
  
Chloe stood and walked towards the closet. "I'm kinda glad you're here... I wanted to show you something."  
She reached inside and pulled out a small black box and laid it on the bed. Chloe lifted the lid, pulled out a picture and handed it across the bed to Brady.  
  
Brady looked at it with a smile. "Is this you? You were a beautiful baby."  
  
"Get serious. I had enormous eyeballs, my head didn't grow to fit them until I was like fourteen."  
  
Brady shook his head. "No, you were beautiful."  
  
"Well, thanks... this is one of the few pictures I got when my adopted parents were killed. I was a year old there. And, I only know that because it has the date on the back... most of the stuff in here is random childhood memories."  
  
Brady still held the picture in his hand and laid on his side with his head on her pillow. Chloe laid across from him on the other pillow and would pull pictures and mementos out of the box and hand them over to him. After nearly an hour of sharing her happier childhood memories, and him teasing her, Chloe shut the box and slid it down the bed a bit.  
  
She winked at him and smiled. "Thanks for laying here and putting up with my boring memories."  
  
"No, no, no. Thanks for sharing this with me. I thought it was cool. You always wonder what someone was like before you met them."  
  
"Oh yeah... and what did you learn about me tonight?"  
  
Brady laughed and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. "I learned that you were exactly the same as you are now, only shorter."  
  
Chloe cringed a tiny bit. "Oh no... Is that a bad thing?"  
  
"No, it's a good thing. A very, very, good thing. But, I'm sure you were definitely a handful."  
  
Chloe shrugged. "Probably... That's why my adopted mother ignored me so much."  
  
Brady looked at her sadly. "Chloe... don't say that. The way she treated you... there's no excuse for it, and it's not your fault."  
  
"You're probably right... I was trying to only have happy stories tonight, but there's a little voice inside of me that creeps in and says, 'Oh but look at all the things that suck, Chloe!'"  
  
"Then the next time that voice creeps up on you, just bitchslap it and tell it to back off or else Brady Black will come after it's sorry ass."  
  
Chloe tried to remain serious but couldn't help bursting into laughter. "Well, I'll remember to keep that in mind. Hey... Brady... I've been meaning to ask you something since you got here."  
  
"Ask away."  
  
"Jan is having this party at her house tomorrow night to celebrate Jason's miraculous recovery. You wanna go?"  
  
Brady paused and looked up thoughtfully. "Who's going to be there?  
  
"Uhm, me... Jan, Jason, Belle, Shawn, Phillip, Mimi... pretty much half of the senior class of Salem High School."  
  
Brady nodded and frowned slightly. "So... high school party? You're asking me to go to a high school party?"  
  
Chloe gasped in shock. "Brady... don't act like such a snob. You hang out with us ALL THE TIME. Now you're too old to go to a high school party?"  
  
"High school parties are boring. They were when I was in high school..."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, that was so long ago when you were in high school. Man, that three whole years really makes ALL the difference."  
  
"Well, it's true... boring boring boring."  
  
Chloe grinned at him and chuckled. "Yeah, because all of your other options for most Saturday nights are SO exciting."  
  
Brady frowned again. "Now you're just being mean."  
  
"Nope, I'm just being honest." Chloe grinned at him wickedly and poked him in the side with her index finger. "Just go, Brady... I promise that it will be fun."  
  
Brady was stonefaced. "No, absolutely not."  
  
"Braaaaaady..." Chloe poked him in the side again. "Pleeeeeease..."  
  
"No, your poking has no effect on me."  
  
Chloe pouted slightly. She poked him in the stomach this time. "Come on, 'Abs of Steel'... live a little."  
  
Brady did not look impressed. "You know, I would have laughed at that... if it were actually funny."  
  
"Awww, Brady... it WAS funny. You're just being a brat." Chloe looked him up and down, trying to figure out where his ticklish spot might be. She had one more guess, and she decided to go for it. "I'm asking you nicely to PLEASE go to the party tomorrow."  
  
"There are only so many ways I can say no..."  
  
Chloe scrunched up her face in frustration and deftly moved her hand up to poke Brady squarely in the base of the neck with one finger. Brady yelped loudly and nearly rolled off the bed. Chloe laughed loudly, and almost so wickedly that it was nearing the sound of a cackle. Brady laid back flat on his back and breathed deeply.  
  
"Oh my God... you are a freak. That is like the only ticklish spot on my entire body. How did you know that?"  
  
Chloe scooted up and laid her arm on his chest, propping herself up to grin evilly at him. "Because... I'm just that good. Now, will you go to the party tomorrow?"  
  
"You know, I was going to go anyway... I just wanted to see you squirm."  
  
Chloe's jaw dropped in shock. "And yet... the tables have turned. You should never play games with me, because I will always win."  
  
Brady chuckled softly. "You are truly wicked... you know that."  
  
Chloe nodded proudly. "Uh-huh... And I still won. Sometimes being bad is gooooood."  
  
"That's what they tell me... You know what, I'm kinda curious... Remember those visions we talked about a long time ago?"  
  
"Boy... do I..."  
  
"Have you had any more since those first ones?"  
  
Chloe nodded and stammered nervously. "Actually... yes... not that often. But, every now and then I have one... And let me tell you, you have to promise me that we won't go hiking the day after my graduation."  
  
Brady looked at her uneasily. "Uhm... okay. I promise. Would something bad happen if we did?"  
  
"Yes, but don't ask me to talk about it because you REALLY don't want to know."  
  
Brady nodded in understanding. "Alright... I'll leave it at that. So, what about your mysterious e-mail?"  
  
Chloe shrugged in confusion. "Don't know... haven't gotten another one or anything. And, since it didn't say anything BAD, I'm not really worried about it anymore."  
  
"Good to hear... by the way, has anyone ever told you that your elbow is very bony and very sharp?"  
  
"No, because it's not."  
  
Brady groaned slightly. "It is when it's pressed into my chest like it is now."  
  
Chloe pouted and Brady figured it was his turn to have some fun. He poked her elbow gently with one finger, but she didn't budge. Brady paused thoughtfully and moved his foot over to kick hers gently, but she just kicked back. He stopped to think and decided to give her a little taste of her own medicine. Brady used the arm that she was laying over to slyly move his hand to the underside of her ribs. He winked at her and quickly tickled her, giving it all he could despite the fact that her body weight was lying on his arm.  
  
Chloe giggled and squirmed until she rolled over on her back and cried out, "OKAY! MERCY MERCY... I'm crying UNCLE... STOP BRADY!"  
  
Brady ceased his torture and positioned his grinning face above hers. "See, I know how to win too..."  
  
Chloe smiled wistfully at him. "Thank you, Brady..."  
  
"For tickling you?"  
  
Chloe shook her head slightly. "No, for doing what I asked you to do. I made you promise not to push me, and you didn't."  
  
Brady smiled sweetly at her. "I always keep my promises."  
  
"Well, thank you... And, I have a feeling that all of this waiting will be ending soon."  
  
Brady looked at her in surprise. "You do?"  
  
"Yeah, I can just kinda sense it."  
  
Brady smiled and whispered to her, "Good..."   
  
The air between them was electric, and you could cut the mounting tension with a knife. Brady moved his face closer to her as if he was going to kiss her, but suddenly remembered that he wasn't supposed to push. He moved his face up further and kissed her on the forehead instead. He sighed almost inaudibly and rolled over on to his back again.  
  
There was a strange silence between them, and Chloe finally broke it by muttering, "So what should we do now?"  
  
Brady shrugged. "I don't know... what are you up for?"  
  
"Well, I look too beyond terrible to think about going out. Want to watch a movie or something?"  
  
"Sure... just nothing romantic or sappy."  
  
Chloe sat up and nodded enthusiastically. "You got it... One order of 'Night of the Living Dead' coming up. I'm going to go downstairs and get some snacks. You know where my videos live."  
  
Chloe stood as Brady was just sitting up. "I certainly do."  
  
Chloe smiled at him from the doorway and then turned to leave. As she moved downstairs, she knew that she had already made her decision. She was just waiting for the right time to break it to Brady and Phillip both.  
***  
(tbc) 


	28. Girl Talk

Chapter Twenty-Eight  
  
[Quick story note: Mimi and Kevin dated for a while, but decided to just remain friends since their relationship was mostly built on lust anyway. Heh heh.)  
  
(Next Day. Java Cafe. Post-Shopping Coffee Break.)  
  
Chloe, Mimi and Belle sat around one of the high tables in the Java Cafe with their purchases under their dangling feet. They sipped their drinks, and took a break from walking around on their tired feet. Chloe was frantically sifting through one of her smaller bags and sighing as she did so.  
  
Mimi looked at her curiously. "Chloe... what are you doing?"  
  
"Oh, I bought a pair of earrings to match my new dress and I was just checking to make sure the girl put them in the bag. All is well and safe."  
  
Belle smiled enthusiastically. "Oh Chloe... I love that dress. It's so perfect on you.  
  
Chloe looked somewhat unsure. "Are you sure? I mean, it's not too... y'know... too meow." Chloe made a scratching motion like a cat with one hand.  
  
Belle shook her head. "No way... it's the perfect amount of meow."  
  
"I'm glad you think so. I didn't want to give off of a, 'You can have me for the bargain price of 50 bucks an hour' kind of vibe tonight."  
  
Mimi laughed heartily. "No, I agree with Belle. It's perfect."  
  
"I don't even know why I'm so worried about it. It's just another party... no big deal."  
  
Belle shifted nervously in her seat and changed the subject. "Chloe... I know you don't really talk about it because you're trying to keep a clear head for your decision making process. But, I just have to know... What's the status with you and Phillip? Are you going to get back together or what?"  
  
Chloe cringed, but Mimi goaded her on, "Yeah, Chloe... it's been like three months since you went on your break."  
  
Chloe sighed and gave in, "Honestly, I don't know. He hasn't come to me with his own decision yet, and I haven't talked to him about it yet."  
  
Belle raised an eyebrow. "But have you made a decision yet?"  
  
"I... I think so. I really think that it's over... Wow, I can't believe I actually said it out loud. I guess that's progress. I just hope that it doesn't hurt Phillip and maybe he's on the same page as I am."  
  
Mimi looked surprised. "Wow... who would have ever thought THAT would happen?"  
  
Belle shyly raised her hand. "To be honest? I know I've been one of the greatest supporters of this relationship. But... even I could see that it just wasn't working out after all the 'on and off' stuff you've been through lately."  
  
Now it was Chloe's turns to look surprised. "Really? Then how come it took ME so long to see it?"  
  
"Because, you were in the love haze. You were trying so hard to make it work that you didn't notice it wasn't going to. I just started thinking one day that maybe there was someone else you were better suited for. Not that Phillip isn't good enough for you, because Phillip is a great person... I just wasn't sure if he meshed with you as well as... someone else might."  
  
"Wow, Belle... you really have thought this through. So, did you have a suggestion as to who MIGHT mesh with me better?"  
  
Belle nodded and smiled. "Actually yes... my brother."  
  
Chloe nearly choked in shock and began coughing. Realization began to dawn on Mimi's face as she nodded slowly and spoke, "Oh wow... she's totally right. I mean, when we were looking for Belle, Shawn and Phillip on the island, I thought that maybe Brady had a thing for you, but I thought it was just based on your good looks or whatever. But now that Belle mentions it... you and Brady would TOTALLY work."  
  
Belle grinned and looked at Chloe's still stunned expression. "Yeah, definitely. You guys have such a strange, but really cool, connection with each other. I know you used to fight a lot, but you became like best friends over the summer and... I don't know, I just think you'd be really good for each other. Call me crazy..."  
  
Chloe shook her head. "You're not crazy. You're totally right... I only look shocked because I didn't think it was that noticeable."  
  
Belle raised both eyebrows this time. "Are you kidding me? You two are attached at the hip most of the time. You're like always with each other and when you're not together, you're talking about each other. You even think alike now... It's like you share one brain or something. Scary..."  
  
Mimi nodded and grinned. "She's got a point there. You two are so inseparable, I was thinking of just starting to call you Chlady."  
  
Chloe laughed out loud and shook her head. "No, don't... that sounds like a disease or something. Eww."  
  
Mimi wrinkled up her nose and frowned thoughtfully. "Yuck, you're right. Maybe Broe then? Either way... it's true. So, why aren't you shocked that we're all saying this?"  
  
"Because... Brady told me that he loves me."  
  
Both girls gasped in surprise and shouted in unison, "WHAT?!?"  
  
Chloe waved her hands to quiet them. "Calm down, calm down. It happened a few months ago. He told me that he's loved me since the day we first met, only he says he didn't realize it then. It took him a few months to figure it out.  
  
Mimi sighed wistfully. "Wow..."  
  
Belle nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, BIG wow. So, what did you tell him?"  
  
"Well, that's when I decided to take a break from my relationship with Phillip. Give it time, see what I could figure out. And now... I know. It's Brady... it always has been, but I was just too dumb to realize it."  
  
Belle smiled widely. "Oh Chloe... that makes me so happy. I think that you and Brady will be so good for each other. I love you both so much, and I'm so happy for you."  
  
Mimi grinned and nodded in agreement. "And Brady is a choice hottie, so you are a lucky girl."  
  
Chloe chuckled at Mimi's assessment. "I guess so..."  
  
"So, does this mean that Phillip will be officially back on the market again?"  
  
Chloe and Belle looked at Mimi in surprise, and both spoke at the same time, "MIMI!"  
  
Mimi shrugged and tried to look innocent. "Well... I was just asking. You know, for the benefit of the rest of the Salem female population. Believe me, there are plenty of girls at school who have just been DYING for the chance to get with Phillip."  
  
Chloe looked at her suspiciously. "So, you're not asking for your own benefit... you're doing this as a public service to the single girls of Salem High School?"  
  
Mimi nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, absolutely. You see, women have to look out for each other... and that's what I'm doing. Would it bother you to see Phillip date another girl?"  
  
Chloe shrugged slightly. "I don't know. Probably not. Phillip will always be my friend and I want him to be happy. The only thing that would really bother me is if he was dating someone who DIDN'T make him happy. But, I would say the same for all of you. If Shawn was treating Belle badly, it would bother me. Same goes for you too, Mimi."  
  
"Thanks Chloe... thanks for watching my back."  
  
Belle leaned forward in her chair and stared Mimi down. "Okay Meems... I have known you since you still had training wheels on your bike, and I know when something is up with you. I KNOW that you didn't bring this up on the behalf of 'other girls'."  
  
Mimi frowned slightly and shifted nervously in her seat. "Okay, okay... Maybe... JUST maybe I wouldn't mind being really good friends with Phillip."  
  
"You ARE good friends with Phillip."  
  
Mimi groaned in frustration. "FINE! Maybe I want to be MORE than good friends. But, I can't help it... He's cute, and fun and he's really nice to me... He's just so… I don't know… so Phillip, that I can't help it."  
  
Chloe patted Mimi on the shoulder sympathetically. "Don't worry... I understand the effect he can have on someone."  
  
Mimi sighed softly. "Well, it doesn't mean anything anyway. He doesn't look at me like that, so I'm not going to get my hopes up or anything."  
  
Belle frowned slightly. "Don't say that, Mimi. You can't possibly know that. I mean, Phillip has been spending a lot of time with you lately, and you guys are getting along really well. Maybe there IS something there."  
  
Chloe nodded in agreement, "She's right. Don't give all hope just yet."  
  
Mimi looked at Chloe and nodded uneasily. "So you wouldn't be totally freaked if I went out with Phillip?"  
  
Chloe's eyes widened and she shook her head vehemently. "Absolutely not... You and I have come a long way, and I really count you as a true friend now. I think you and Phillip might be really good for each other actually. You have a lot more in common than you might think."  
  
Belle interjected her opinions, "Oh yeah. Totally. For one thing, you are both the most annoyingly persistent people I have EVER known in my life. I think you should go for it."  
  
Mimi shrugged in confusion. "I don't know... Maybe." She turned in her chair and pointed at Chloe. "But, it all depends on what he tells YOU. Because, if he is still madly in love with you... I'm not even gonna go there. That would be a really bad idea."  
  
Chloe looked downward and nodded. "Yeah, I think the problem is that both of us are waiting for the 'right time' to have a nice little talk with each other. But, who knows when the 'right time' is."  
  
Belle looked at her hopefully. "How about tonight?"  
  
Chloe shook her head and winced. "I... I don't know about that. It's a party to celebrate Jason's recovery, not a memorial service for the couplehood of Phillip and Chloe."  
  
"But, you have to do it some time. I think you're predicting that it will be painful and terrible, but I have a feeling it won't be. Phillip has matured a lot since we came back to school, he can handle it. And, besides... my dad always says, there is no time like the present."  
  
Mimi nodded enthusiastically, her smile widening. "Yeah... just do it, Chloe."  
  
Chloe smirked at her. "You sound like a shoe commercial."  
  
"Not the point... Belle's right. I think that everything will be fine, you just need to get this over with."  
  
Chloe paused thoughtfully to consider it. "Well... maybe. If I can find a quiet moment to talk alone with him. But... I don't want to ruin the rest of the part for him if this turns out badly."  
  
Belle waved her finger to scold Chloe. "It won't. I just know that it won't. And stop thinking negative thoughts."  
  
Chloe nodded begrudgingly. "Yes ma'am... only happy thoughts from now on."  
  
Mimi interjected, "This has been extremely informative, but speaking of 'happy thoughts', I believe there's a shoe sale calling our names."  
  
Belle gasped slightly. "Then WHAT are we still doing here? Let's go..."  
  
The girls gathered their packages up and paid the bill, before heading off to the shoe store. Chloe thought to herself that it was of the utmost importance to have the right shoes on when you tell someone that you're not in love with them anymore. Or perhaps not.  
***  
(next chapter: The Party... But I'm going to an all day concert today, so I don't know when it will be done. I'll get it done as soon as possible... Stay tuned.) 


	29. The Beginning

Chapter Twenty-Nine  
  
(Jan's House - The Party)  
  
The group had arrived late to the party. Thanks mostly to Mimi who had a tiny disaster involving the zipper in her dress. Once they arrived, the party was already in full swing. The music was pumping loudly, and Jan had cleared out her massive living room to accommodate a house full of dancing teens. After their arrival, the group of six split off and mingled with the rest of the guests, each of them stopping to congratulate Jason on his speedy recovery.  
  
Chloe stood in a corner alone for a moment. The rest of her friends were spread across the house, dancing or talking. She was taking a sip of her Sprite when Brady walked up to her.  
  
"You look all lonely back here in the corner."  
  
Chloe shrugged. "I'm not. Just taking a break from the hustle and bustle. So, aren't you glad you came to this party after all?  
  
Brady frowned slightly. "Not yet."  
  
"Not yet? Sheesh... you are hard to please."  
  
Brady clasped her hand and shook his head. "Not yet, because I haven't had the opportunity to dance with the most beautiful girl in the room."  
  
Chloe raised one eyebrow skeptically. "You want to dance with your sister?"  
  
Brady rolled his eyes at her. "Noooooo, I want to dance with YOU."  
  
"Alright, alright... but if you step on my feet, then there's no more dancing allowed."  
  
"Don't worry... I've got moves that would make Ricky Martin jealous..."  
  
Chloe laughed heartily. "Oh no, this I HAVE to see."  
  
Brady grinned as he pulled her to the middle of the crowded floor. Chloe didn't recognize the song that was playing, but it was a mid-tempo, sexy club song with no lyrics. The other couples on the floor were bumping and grinding close to each other, but Chloe stood inches away from her dance partner. Chloe moved herself to the music, but was spending more time concentrating on Brady. Most guys seemed to look like tree trunks with arms when they attempted to dance, but this wasn't the case with Brady. She had never figured him to be the Fred Astaire type, but he was doing quite a good job. Brady grinned at her and put one hand on her waist, pulling her closer to him. He slowly moved her closer until their bodies were pressed tightly against each other. Chloe was nearly breathless at his touch and in disbelief that something so sexual in nature felt so loving as well. She knew for sure that they did not just lust after each other like most teenagers but they were truly in love.  
  
Brady smiled sweetly at her and moved his hands slowly from her waist to her arms, moving them so that her hands were behind his neck. He moved in closer and whispered softly into her ear, "I must obey what the music tells me to do."  
  
Chloe chuckled and nodded slightly. "I don't mind at all."  
  
They danced together closely through the rest of the song and all the way through the next song, another mid-tempo club song. At one point, Chloe looked past Brady and saw Phillip chatting and laughing with Mimi in one corner of the room. She smiled slightly, glad to see that they were enjoying themselves. However, she did not see Phillip occasionally glancing in their direction from the corner of his eye. At the end of the next song, Brady felt a soft tap at his shoulder and he separated himself from Chloe. They stood apart from each other and looked at Phillip beside them.  
  
Phillip nodded towards Brady and spoke, "Mind if I cut in?"  
  
Brady stepped back even further and motioned for Phillip to take his place. "Not at all. I'm getting thirsty anyway."  
  
Brady walked away to find the refreshments and Phillip clasped Chloe's hand and brought her in close to him. The next song began, and somebody had decided to put on a slow one. Phillip held her tightly, but not in the same way that they used to dance together. The distance between them was the same distance you would put between any friend you dance with, but it felt like miles to them.   
  
Phillip gave her a half smile and spoke under his breath, "Chloe... I think it's time... time to talk."  
  
Chloe looked at him with surprise. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm ready..." Phillip paused and then glanced at her suspiciously. "Aren't you?"  
  
"I'm ready... Come on..." Chloe grabbed his hand and led him through the crowded living room. They walked directly past Brady but Chloe did not turn and look at him. If she had, she would have seen a very worried look flash across his face. She led Phillip through the french doors that led to the pool area.   
  
Chloe closed the door behind her and then turned to Phillip. "So... uhh... what do you want to talk about?"  
  
"Chloe, you know exactly what I want to talk about."  
  
Chloe nodded and nervously stammered, "I know... Us, right? That's the big question of the day, right?"  
  
Phillip nodded in agreement. "Yup, that's it."  
  
"Okay... you go first." Chloe planted a weak smile on her lips and motioned for him to go forward. It was much better him first, instead of her.  
  
Phillip looked at her solemnly. "I was watching you out there, dancing with Brady. And... I saw something that I had never seen before. At least, I THINK I saw something."  
  
"Phillip... it's not what you think. Not really anyway... It's..."  
  
Phillip waved a hand to stop her. "No, stop... It is what I think. Brady is in love with you."  
  
Chloe nodded and looked at her feet. "Yes..."  
  
"And you... you love him too." He spoke it as more of a statement of fact than a question.  
  
Chloe looked up at him, tears beginning to form in her blue eyes. She stuttered slightly, "I... uhhh... Yes. I'm sorry, Phillip... But, yes."  
  
"Then I did see it... I could tell." Phillip was stone-faced as he looked at her.  
  
Chloe shook her head and let one big tear fall out of each eye. "It's true... but it's not what you think. I never cheated on you. I never even thought about Brady in that way when I was with you."  
  
Phillip stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. He smiled at her sweetly and understandingly. "Chloe... I know. There's no reason to cry. I know."  
  
Chloe looked at him with a bit of surprise in her eyes. "You do? But... I guess I figured you would accuse us of having something going on this whole time."  
  
"No, I'm not like that anymore. I know better now. I know that you wouldn't do something like that. You wouldn't do something that would hurt me intentionally."  
  
Chloe smiled through her tears. "No, I wouldn't. I would never want to hurt you. He only told me how he felt a couple of months ago, and I had never even thought about it before."  
  
Phillip hugged her and stroked her hair gently. He quietly whispered to her, "And, I don't want to hurt you either. I've already hurt you enough for three lifetimes, and I don't ever want to see you hurt like that again. That's why I'm going to let you go."  
  
Chloe leaned back and looked at him in surprise. "You are?"  
  
"Chloe... I love you, I always will. But, you were right to give this whole thing three months apart. I can see that it's not going to work out with us. Being with me... it doesn't make you as happy as I know you could be. And, that's all I want. I love you, and I want you to be as deliriously happy as you deserve to be. And if it's not with me, then I'm okay with that."  
  
"And what about you? I want the same things for you, Phillip..."  
  
Phillip shrugged slightly. "Don't worry about me. I'm ready to move on too... I see now that I can be happy without having to be your boyfriend. You're still important to me, and you always will be... But, I'll be fine."  
  
Chloe smiled widely at him. "I hope so. I just can't believe that you're the one out here bringing this up, and not me."  
  
"I've just been waiting for the right time to have this talk. This whole break has shown me that we just weren't meant to be in the grand scheme of things. And, when I saw you out there with Brady... I knew that this was the right time. I had to set you free so that you could be with the person you really love."  
  
Chloe placed her hand on his cheek and smiled. "You know, you almost look like a different person to me."  
  
Phillip laughed and cringed slightly. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"  
  
Chloe chuckled and hugged him tightly, whispering into his ear. "It's a good thing."  
  
Chloe leaned out of the embrace but kept held on to both of his hands. She repeated herself, "It's a good thing. You've really grown up... just all of a sudden. You're going to make some girl very happy someday."  
  
Phillip frowned slightly. "I don't know about that..."  
  
"I do. You're a very special person Phillip, and you will always mean so much to me. Someday, maybe very soon, the perfect girl will come along and she'll be incredibly lucky to have you. Just promise me that you'll find a girl who deserves you. Because, if she treats you bad, then I'll kill her."  
  
Phillip laughed out loud and kissed Chloe on the forehead. "Then she should be afraid, because I know that's not an idle threat."  
  
Chloe grinned wickedly. "You know it. If anyone so much as looks at you the wrong way, I'll get her. I've been working out you know..."  
  
"Same goes for you. If my nephew does ANYTHING to hurt you, he's going to have to deal with me." Phillip paused thoughtfully and continued, "And vice versa... Brady is like a brother to me, so if you do anything to hurt him, then you have to deal with me. There's a lot at stake with this relationship..."  
  
Chloe chuckled and nodded. "You're telling me... Not only do we have you to contend with, but there's Belle, Shawn and Mimi too..."  
  
"Well, I have a feeling that everything will work out just fine."  
  
Chloe nodded slowly. "Me too... You know, Phillip... this turned out to be a lot easier than I thought."  
  
Phillip wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. "Let's just say that our three month 'break' really taught me a lot about myself. If you had told me that you were in love with Brady three months ago, the old Phillip would have freaked out... but now, I understand and I'm a bit more mature than I used to be."  
  
"I'm glad to hear I made the right decision for once."  
  
Phillip rolled his eyes in disbelief, "Oh stop... Chloe... you are one of the most level-headed people I know. If it wasn't for you and Belle, we'd all be screwed up."  
  
"You mean even more screwed up than you already are?"  
  
Phillip laughed and nodded. "Exactly... You ready to go back in?"  
  
Chloe nodded slowly. "I am... but one more thing... thank you."  
  
"For what?"  
  
Chloe smiled sweetly and kissed him on the cheek. "For being you. I don't think I tell people that enough, and I want to start. My friends are the only things that have gotten me through all the hard times since I moved to Salem, and I don't thank them nearly enough."  
  
Phillip smiled back and replied, "Then thank you too... and you're welcome. And all that..."  
  
Chloe and Phillip headed back to the party hand in hand. No longer in love, but with the promise of a friendship that would last a lifetime.  
***  
  
(Inside... a bit earlier.)  
  
Brady stood in the corner alone, watching Phillip and Chloe dance together. Phillip was holding on tight, but they weren't dancing closely. Not nearly as close as she had danced with Brady earlier. He knew deep down that he shouldn't be, but Brady was still worried. Worried that the love he saw in her eyes when they were close to each other was not as strong as what she might be feeling for Phillip.  
  
Brady watched the dance end and saw the speak a few words to each other. Chloe grabbed Phillip's hand and the two of them marched right past Brady. He thought that Chloe would at least give him a sign, a nod, a look... but she did not even look at him when she went past. Brady wondered if she had just not noticed him there, or if she was avoiding his glance on purpose. Butterflies started fluttering the way around his insides, as he was afraid of Chloe making the decision that he had long hoped she wouldn't.  
  
He sighed deeply as he watched them move through the french doors and on to the patio. Brady considered whether or not watching them through the doors would be an invasion of privacy or not. The angel on his shoulder wanted him to back away, but the devil made him stand at that window and peek at them.  
  
Brady couldn't believe his eyes. He saw them hug, and hold each other. He witnessed the touches, the smiles, and kisses on the cheek and forehead between them. Their closeness made his butterflies turn into hummingbirds.   
  
His two halves seemed to be battling it out in his head. The one side told him that Chloe loved him, and he knew it without a doubt. But the other side reminded him that she had loved Phillip first, and for a lot longer.  
  
Brady groaned as he saw Phillip put his arm around her shoulder and kiss the top of her head. He quietly muttered under his breath, "I can't watch this."  
  
He sighed deeply and turned away from the window. Brady moved quickly through the livingroom, trying to get away from what he hoped wasn't true.  
***  
  
(Back to Phillip and Chloe)  
  
Phillip and Chloe made their way back inside and let go of each other's hand. Chloe looked around then looked back at Phillip in confusion.  
  
"Do you see Brady anywhere?"  
  
Phillip shrugged. "I don't know... He was right over in this corner a little bit ago. Maybe he went into another room of the house."  
  
Chloe looked at him nervously. "Well, I really need to find him..."  
  
"Calm down. I'm sure he's around here somewhere. You'll find him."  
  
Chloe nodded hopefully, and left Phillip behind. She made her way through the room to where Shawn and Belle were dancing together. She gently tapped Shawn at the shoulder and they both turned to look at her.  
  
"Hey... sorry to interrupt... It's just, I'm looking for Brady. Have you seen him?"  
  
Shawn shrugged in confusion. "Nope, not recently."  
  
Belle shrugged as well. "I haven't seen him either. Are you looking for him so you can... you know... I mean, did you talk to Phillip?"  
  
Chloe nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, and everything is great. I'll tell you all about it later. But, that's why I'm looking for Brady."  
  
Belle squealed with glee and gave Chloe a quick hug. "Oh, that's such good news!" She stepped away from Chloe and then motioned for her to leave. "Now, go and find him. Go, go, go!"  
  
Chloe laughed and walked away. She heard a confused Shawn ask Belle, "What was that about?" as she walked away. Chloe headed through the crowd and still could not see Brady. She suddenly found herself at the bottom of the steps and remembered something she had seen in her visions. Timidly, she tiptoed up the stairs and hoped that Jan wouldn't be angry if she found out.  
  
Chloe stood at the top of the stairs and looked down each direction of the hallway. But, she didn't need to... her heart knew the way. She walked to the doorway at the very end of the hallway and opened it up to another set of stairs. Chloe reached the top of these stairs and slowly opened the door. She peeked around the corner into the observatory room with the giant glass windows that looked out into the universe. Chloe had remembered everything about this room, and many things about her life as Jan, but she never expected that Brady would find his way here. But, there he was, sitting on a sheet-covered couch staring up into the night sky.  
  
She whispered under her breath, "Brady..."  
  
Brady turned his gaze away from the stars and saw her standing there. He looked at her in surprise as he stood from the couch. Chloe smiled slightly as she walked closer to him and looked into his eyes. She spoke again, "You came here... to this room..."  
  
Brady nodded slowly. "And you found me... How?  
  
Chloe sighed and clasped his hand gently. "I remembered." She paused and looked at him for a moment before continuing, "And you did too... didn't you?"  
  
Brady looked downward and nodded. He spoke quietly, "I don't know how I got here. I saw you outside with Phillip and I had to get away from it, so I just walked away. I guess I was scared or worried or something. I ended up here. I don't know why. It's not really memories, I can't see things like you can... I just felt that this is where I needed to go. I remembered that there was something special about this place. And somehow, you found me."  
  
Chloe stared at him in disbelief. "I will always find you, Brady."  
  
Brady lifted his face and looked at her in confusion. "And what about Phillip?"  
  
"It's over. Officially. That's why I came looking for you."  
  
"It's really over? For good? Not just a break?"  
  
Chloe smiled and nodded her head. "Completely... And I didn't even have to end it myself. Phillip did it. He knew that we had to end it."  
  
Brady raised both eyebrows at once. "How did he know?"  
  
"Because, he saw me with you earlier. He knows how you feel about me, and he knows how I feel about you... He could see it from all the way across the room. I didn't even have to tell him."  
  
"And how do you feel about me?"  
  
Chloe sighed and stared at him for a moment. She inched her way closer and planted her lips on his gently, kissing him deeply and passionately. Brady held her tightly, returning her kisses with every ounce of himself, body and soul. She finally broke off the kiss and stared into his deep pools of blue.  
  
"I love you, Brady Black. I may not have known it, but it's always been you. I thought I was going to have to make the hardest decision of my life in the past three months, but it was the easiest. There is no other person I belong with, and there never will be."  
  
Brady smiled and kissed her again. "I love you too, Chloe. You are my angel."  
  
Chloe laughed and rolled her eyes. "You have no idea how true that is."  
  
Brady looked at her suspiciously. "But, you will tell me someday?"  
  
Chloe nodded and kissed him again. "I will... But, I think we have plenty of time for that."  
  
"Well, then... dance with me."  
  
"But there's no music..."  
  
Brady smiled sweetly at her. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Just dance with me..."  
  
Chloe smiled back and nodded. "Forever..."  
  
She threw her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly. They began moving together across the floor as Brady began singing quietly:  
  
***Earth angel, earth angel  
Will you be mine?  
My darling dear  
Love you all the time  
I'm just a fool  
A fool in love with you  
  
Earth angel, earth angel  
The one I adore  
Love you forever and ever more  
I'm just a fool  
A fool in love with you  
  
I fell for you and I knew  
The vision of your loveliness  
I hoped and I pray that someday  
I'd be the vision of your happiness  
  
Earth angel, earth angel  
Please be mine  
My darling dear  
Love you all the time  
I'm just a fool  
A fool in love with you***  
***  
  
Not Officially The End... (there is a prologue, just to tie things up nicely) 


	30. Prologue

Prologue (or the elusive Chapter Thirty!)  
  
Keyes rushed down the hallway as fast as his legs could carry him. He barged into King's office, completely out of breath, which was strange for someone who didn't really have to worry about breathing. King had his feet up on his desk and was watching the monitor in front of him in great interest.  
  
Keyes spoke frantically, in between deep breaths. "Are... are you watching this?"  
  
King grinned and nodded. "Are you kidding me? This is better than Survivor."  
  
Keyes glanced at the monitor and saw Brady and Chloe dancing with each other as Brady sang softly to her. He took a seat on the other side of the desk and sighed softly. "Do you think he remembers?"  
  
King shrugged. "I think he has some vague idea, more senses than memories. He'll never get it full force like Chloe did."  
  
"And why did she? I thought she wasn't supposed to remember anything."  
  
King looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "And when has Chloe Lane done anything that we expected her to?"  
  
Keyes nodded slowly. "I see your point... So tell me something, since you have decided to keep me from seeing what happens after this, can you at least tell me that it's not going to end badly? Not like the last time anyway..."  
  
King looked at him solemnly. "You really want to know?"  
  
Keyes shrugged. "What can I say? I kinda like those two, I'm curious to see how it all turns out."  
  
"Well, you know that saying about God never giving you more than you can handle." Keyes nodded and King continued, "We all feel pretty bad about already giving Chloe far more than she could handle in just 17 years. So, we installed a safety net to keep things from turning out disastrous again."  
  
Keyes raised both eyebrows curiously. "A safety net?"  
  
"Here... watch..." King clicked his remote and started showing him a slideshow on the monitor.  
  
The first picture was a wedding photo of Brady and Chloe flanked by their wedding party, Belle, Mimi, Shawn and Phillip.  
  
Keyes smiled slightly. "She makes a beautiful bride."  
  
King nodded in agreement and continued. The next photo was Chloe in a hospital bed holding a tiny baby, with Brady at her side.  
  
"Awwww... baby..."  
  
King spoke up, "Yes, just the first one. I think they name this one Andrew Craig Black."  
  
"Craig... after her stepfather."  
  
King showed the next photo. A family photo of Brady, Chloe, Andrew and two little girls, one of them holding a puppy, in front of a gazebo.  
  
Keyes smiled knowingly, "So... two to four children, the puppy, and the gazebo. Just like they talked about."  
  
"Yeah, I thought the gazebo was a nice touch."  
  
Keyes sighed in relief and looked over at King. "So, happily ever after then?"  
  
King nodded proudly. "And then some..."  
  
***  
The End (please see Author's Notes) 


	31. Author's Notes

Author's Notes  
  
First off, as always... THANK YOU! If you have read this long story of mine this far, then THANK YOU. The response to this story has been overwhelming and way more than I expected. I can't thank all of you enough for being so kind to me, and for continuing to support me and my writing. It's because of all of YOU and your support that I keep doing this. (Plus, it's good clean fun...) I loved writing this story, and I hoped you all loved reading it. (It's frightening, but a lot of fun to have Brady and Chloe live in your head for a month.)  
  
Secondly, I hope that some of the themes of this story are even more relevant now than they would have been before September 11th. The theme of making sure you tell someone how you feel before it's too late, and the idea of being able to move on even though you are grieving was something that was planned in the story before September 11th. But, I think it rings even more true now. Please tell people that you love them, because you never know when you might lose them.  
  
Now, on to business:  
The characters in this story do not belong to me, although I wish they did. I am not affiliated with Ken Corday, Tom Langan, Sony Television or NBC. (But, if you're looking for help... call me, I need a better job.) I try to return them in better condition than they came to me in, but to do that, I sometimes I have to kill them twice and bring them back from the dead. Sorry Chloe, it hurt me almost as much as it hurt you.  
  
The characters of Keyes and King do not belong to me either. They belong to Chris Rock and the creators of "Down to Earth", as well as Eugene Levy and Chazz Palmintieri who played them in the movie. As you can tell, I only LOOSELY, VERY loosely based my story on that movie as I have changed many things to suit my own storytelling purproses. :)  
  
The songs used are:  
  
All I Have to Do is Dream by The Everly Brothers (Phloe fans remember this as the song Phillip sang to Chloe when he begged for forgiveness after she found out about the 'bet'.)  
  
Earth Angel by The Penguins (it's an oldie, but still good...)  
  
What's next for me:  
As much fun as it is to have Brady & Chloe living in my head, I think they're going on a short vacation. So, Shawn and Belle are moving in. I'll be writing a long Shawn/Belle fic that has to do with not only the consequences of them finding out about JT's paternity, but what they may doing in 5 years, and a little action/adventure. (At least I hope it turns out as good as it sounds...)  
  
And after that... either the third in the series with "Fallout" and "True" or a Jack & Jennifer story. It depends on which one I can wrap my brain around first. I would guess it's back to Broe, but I make no guarantees.  
  
So, once again... Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading. :) God bless you all, and God Bless America.  



End file.
